Come Down With Love
by mspink93
Summary: Plagued by strange hallucinations, the Daybreaker girls do the only thing they can. '"There's only one thing we can do." Hannah's voice cracked.  "We have to leave"'.
1. Prologue

**Hi!**

**So, this is my first Night World fanfiction, and it was really just something that I wanted to try. And I know that it's short, but it's really just the prologue anyways. **

**So, I hope that you guys like this! And if you read it (not even carefully, just if you read it haha) then you should be able to figure out who this is. I mean, I didn't really try to hide it, I just didn't put her name. And just know that I have nothing against the character herself, she just fit the role that I needed really well.**

**Also, I know that the character tag is Galen and Keller, but this story isn't actually fully about them. It's about all of the Daybreakers, but I chose them because they're my fave characters/couple. Because they're awesome! :)  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Night World.**

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**Come Down With Love**

Prologue

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Night. She would have to wait for the night to fall before she could go. It wasn't that she would get it trouble for being there, because technically, she was a member of Circle Daybreak. But she was supposed to be undercover in Las Vegas, and she didn't want anyone to see her. It would ruin the whole thing.

She waited until the moon was high in the sky, casting its eerie glow all over the garden, before she made her move. She scoped out the perimeter of the mansion, checking all of the windows and doors, trying to find a way in. If she couldn't get inside, then her whole plan would fall apart.

Suddenly, she saw it. The moonlight was shining through the open window, and the lacy curtains were flowing in the breeze. Intuitively, she knew whose room this was, and she smirked. Of course _she_ would leave the window open while she slept. She was too trusting and naïve; not even caring about her own safety, even while the Apocalypse neared.

Goosebumps rose along her arms, and she shivered in anticipation. Stealthily, she crept across the lawn and grabbed hold of a bulky branch, strong enough to support her weight. Then, with smooth, lithe movements, she pulled herself up, swung her feet out, and landed through the open window without a sound.

She checked her pockets to make sure that the vial was still there, and then padded out the door, throwing one last glance over her shoulder. Her dark hair hit her in the face and she impatiently brushed her locks away, keeping her eyes trained on the sleeping witch. She'll have to get back to her later.

Room by room, she looked at the sleeping forms of her fellow Daybreakers and felt the excitement build up. Soon, everything would fall into place. Soon, she wouldn't have to be alone anymore. Soon, she would get what she _wanted_.

A slow smile spread across her face and she sprinkled the powder over the head of a vampire with coppery curls. She quickly said the incantations under her breath, too quietly for even a vampire to hear. She straightened up and watched as her spell took effect, and then, with a satisfied smirk, she went back to the last – and first – room.

This time, she hesitated. The powder was _so_ close to spilling out of the glass vial, but she pulled it back at the last minute. The grains fell back against each other, settling in the shape of a miniature mountain while she pondered. She hated how weak she had become.

In an impulsive moment, she tipped the vial over again, releasing the powder. It fell in slow motion, getting caught in the strands of hair and nestling in the golden tresses, as the sleeping girl took a deep breath and smiled, rolling over. She watched this with wide eyes, her breath caught in her throat. When she was absolutely certain that the girl wouldn't wake up, she let out a low sigh of relief and then leaned over, whispering rapidly under her breath.

She turned around to leave the way that she had come in, but something stopped her. Stepping back, she bent her head close to the girl and whispered very softly, "I'm sorry, Thea."

And then, with a well-balanced jump, she was gone.

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**Review? Pretty please?**


	2. Hallucinations

**Hey!**

**I'm so glad that you guys think that this is interesting so far! Thank you so much! And like I said before, this is my first Night World fanfiction, so I hope that I'm getting all of these characters right. I've read the books loads of times, but I haven't ever written the characters before.**

**And yes, you were all right. It was Blaise, but I didn't try and hide it, did I?**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Night World (and the title of my story is a song by AllStar Weekend, so I don't technically own that either)**

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Chapter 1

_Hallucinations  
_

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Everything was perfect.

The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the grass was a vivid green. Flowers sprung up in patches all around the field, rose pinks, bright reds, baby blues and golden yellows. And as cliché as it made Hannah feel, she was happy. No, she was more than happy; she was ecstatic.

Thierry, feeling her immense pleasure through the soulmate link between them, smiled at her. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly, handing her a plump strawberry. The colour of the fruit was so striking against his pale skin that she involuntarily took in a breath, and her hand flew up to her throat. "Hannah?"

She couldn't answer, her mind filled to the brim with one fact and that one fact alone. He was _hers_. Thierry Descouedres, in all of his perfection, was hers. He'd been waiting for her for all of his life, and although she hadn't known it, she had been waiting for him. And even though every one of her other lives had ended in tragedy…she knew that this one would be different.

_"Hannah?"_ he asked again, this time in her mind. She broke out of her thoughts and let him probe her mind, shyly offering what she had been so caught up in before. Her cheeks flushed as he went through her thoughts, shuffling through them and then straightening them back up, like he would with a stack of papers.

Then, without being fully aware of what was happening, she was in his arms, and his mouth brushed against her temple. She shivered under his touch and turned her head so that their mouths were connected, the silver cord between them taut and thrumming.

"_Hannah, I love you_," Thierry said simply, using his mental voice so that she could hear the truth behind his words. Not that she doubted him one bit, but reassurance was always nice.

"_I know. I love you too, Thierry_," she answered, and gave a sigh of happiness against his lips. She pulled away slowly and glanced up at him through her lashes, her grey eyes sparkling. "And thank you, for all of this." She gestured widely, trying to take in the whole scene around them. "It's beautiful."

He captured her fingers in his own and pressed them against his lips. "It's just something that I thought you would like," he said in his gentle voice, curling his hand around her own. "And I thought that it would be nice. In all of your other lives –" sadness crept into his eyes at these words, and she squeezed his hand, trying to convey how much she loved him. " – we always had to meet in secret, so that Maya wouldn't be able to find you. We weren't able to do something like this."

His words rang true, and Hannah lay back on the blanket. They were having a picnic, just enjoying the weather and their time together. Two birds streaked across the sky above them, chasing each other and chirping as they passed. They flew in front of the blazing sun, and Hannah felt something shift. She wasn't sure if it was the atmosphere or the energy, but she knew that something big was about to happen.

All at once, the scene dissolved. The grass withered and died, leaving them in a sea of little brown needles. The flowered shrivelled up as the petals fell to the floor, and the sky darkened instantly. The cheerful chirping was replaced with loud cawing, and looking up, Hannah saw a murder of crows overhead, their big black wings beating against the sky. She tried to grab onto Thierry for comfort, but all she was grasping was air.

With a gasp, she realized that her soulmate was nowhere to be found, and fear stilled her heart. She drew her arms against her chest and tried to make herself invisible, dreading what was about to happen. Although she wasn't sure exactly what it was, she knew that it would be bad, and the mere thought made her blood run cold.

A figure suddenly appeared, drenched in darkness. It was walking on a clear path, straight towards Hannah, and she trembled, wishing with all her heart that Thierry was here. She let out a little squeak and wound herself into a tighter ball, clasping her hands around her knees.

The figure stopped in front of her, and she could make out bloodthirsty red eyes, shining dangerously upon her. She scrambled back, trying to get out of his reach, but wherever she went, he was there. No matter what she did, she couldn't get away from him, and this though terrified her. She shivered as the figure's eyes bored holes into her own, and with a flash, one dark arm reached out and grasped her shoulder tightly.

"No! Let me go!" she screamed, wriggling. "Thierry! Thierry!"

The figure opened its mouth and revealed two delicate, pointed fangs. Hannah stopped struggling, her fright making her body go slack. The figure bent its head down, until the tips of the fangs were poking into Hannah's neck. And then, quick as lightning, it lurched forward, and she screamed.

"NO!" Hannah shot up in bed, her face covered in sweat. She shuddered and wrapped her blanket around her like a cocoon, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. How could the best dream of her life turn into such a nightmare? She looked to her right and saw that the bed was empty. Fear clutched at her heart before she remembered that all of the boys were on a mission, and they would be back in the morning.

She got out of bed and padded over to the mirror, trying to still her rapid breathing. Her skin was pale, making the petal-shaped birthmark on her cheek stand out. Her fair hair, tied up in a loose bun, had fallen a little in her sleep, and wisps framed her face. She drew a hand across her cheek, and was shocked to find a single teardrop cling to her fingers.

"There there, don't cry," a familiar voice behind her said. Hannah whirled around and saw the one person that she never wanted to see again – Maya. She was dressed in a skimpy cavewoman suit, not unlike the ones that Hannah had seen in countless _Flintstones_ reruns. Her bright green eyes were narrowed, but her mouth was twisted into a smirk. "You wouldn't want Thierry to see you cry, now would you, Hana?"

The minute that Maya mentioned Thierry, Hannah's fear melted away. Instead, she drew up to her full height and commanded, "What did you do to him, Maya?"

Even as she was saying it, Hannah knew that this was crazy. Maya was dead; she had been staked by Hannah herself. And she had seen her body decay, seen the life drain out of her. So why, a little voice in the back of her head asked, are you standing here talking to an illusion.

"Oh Hana, I'm not an illusion," Maya said, laughing. Her waterfall of black hair was flipped from one shoulder to the next as she tilted her head to the side, her eyes – now a glittering blue – sparkling. "I'm a _hallucination_. And I haven't done anything to Thierry. What I'm here to tell you, my dear, is that if you're not careful, he'll get hurt. Soon. And do you want to know why?"

Hannah shook her head, attempting to clear her thoughts. Why was she seeing a hallucination of Maya? And more importantly, why was this hallucination being so nice to her? Why wasn't she being nasty, malicious, awful? Maya's next words proved Hannah wrong, and she went cold again. "No," she whispered, shaking her head. "No, you're wrong."

Maya laughed again. "No, Hana, I'm not wrong. Thierry's going to get hurt, and it's going to be all your fault. You, my dear, will be the cause of his death. And when he dies…then we can finally be together, without you meddling." Before Hannah could say anything, Maya disappeared, the sound of her throaty laugh resounding throughout the entire room.

_Your fault_, the voice whispered in her mind, and she stifled a scream. This couldn't be happening. She was so happy, everything was going to well. She had finally lived to be seventeen, had finally found Thierry, had finally just been _happy_. Why did this have to happen? Why now? Why ever?

She wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve and mechanically made her way to the kitchen, her mind reeling. When she opened the doors and stepped inside, she was bombarded with noise, and she snapped to attention in surprise. All of the other Daybreaker girls were in the kitchen, seated around the table. Hannah noted that they all looked as bad as she felt, and she cleared her throat.

"Oh, Lady Hannah, did we wake you?" Thea asked, her brown eyes full of concern.

Hannah gave her a tight smile. "Bad dream."

"You too?" Rashel asked, tugging on a lock of dark hair in frustration. "All of us have had bad dreams tonight; we were just talking about it. And after I woke up, I saw Hunter in my room, casually leaning against my wall."

Maggie jumped up from where she sat, laying her hands flat against the table. "Hunter was in _my_ room too! Did he visit any of you guys?"

Everyone else shook their heads.

"Maya came to me," Hannah piped up softly, leaning against the counter. Eight heads swivelled in her direction, and she swallowed. "She told me something…that I didn't really want to hear. Did Hunter tell you anything? Rashel? Maggie?"

What little colour that was left in their faces drained simultaneously, and Maggie's sorrel coloured eyes betrayed the pain that she was feeling. "He told me that…Delos was going to get hurt, and it would be my fault. And if I wanted to save him, then I could have to leave." Her voice cracked on the last word, but she took a deep breath and composed herself.

"He told me the same thing," Rashel said, twisting her fingers in her hair tighter. "Only that Quinn would die, not Delos. And I got so angry that I tried to stake him, but he just disappeared."

"Maya told me the same thing," Hannah echoed. She gazed at the rest of the girls. "Did something like this happen to all of you also?"

Gillian nodded, her silky blonde hair falling into her eyes. "Almost the exact same thing. Except that it wasn't Hunter or Maya…it was Angel. But he looked evil, vicious. His eyes weren't violet like mine…they were red, and scary looking."

"And I saw Jeremy," Mary-Lynette said softly, fingering a napkin on the marble tabletop. "He was stuck halfway between his wolf self and his human form, but I could tell that it was him. He told me that if I stayed here with all of you, he'd come back and kill Ash." She wiped her cheek and dried her hand on the napkin, choking back her sobs. "Why is this happening?"

Poppy rubbed May-Lynette's back. "Don't worry Mare, nothing is going to happen to Ash. Don't you all see? This isn't a coincidence; it's bad magic. It's like Ash told me once: bad magic happens."

"When did he tell you that?" Rashel asked, her eyebrows raised. She had let go of her hair and was now tapping her fingers gently against the tabletop. This, Hannah noticed, was one of the vampire hunter's nervous habits. "I've never heard him say it before."

"It was before I met him. I had a dream about him once – and believe me, it was the only dream that I've had about him. He told me that bad magic happened, gave me a black flower and then left me standing on the beach. The point is, though, that we have nothing to worry about. And do you want to know why?"

"Why?" Keller asked, tying her hair back into a ponytail.

Poppy ignored her, which was strange in itself, because Keller had just been answering Poppy's own statement. Instead, the copper haired vampire looked at Thea. "Who appeared to you?"

Thea started, but averted her eyes as she spoke. "A…an evil witch who I had accidentally brought back before I joined Circle Daybreak."

Poppy nodded, her curls quivering. "And you?"

"Azhdeha," Keller said, her voice darkening. "But in his human form."

"Jez?"

"Lily Redfern," the redhead said, crumpling a napkin tight in her fist. "And if she comes near Morgead, I _will_ kill her again."

Poppy smiled wryly and then addressed Hannah. "See Lady Hannah? It can't be a coincidence that all of your worst enemies, people you hated…it can't be a coincidence that they were the ones who appeared to you in your rooms."

"Wait," Mary-Lynette said, looking up. Her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, and her voice was hoarse, but she kept on talking. "Poppy, you never said who you saw in your room. You did see someone, didn't you?"

"I did," Poppy shot them a blinding smile. "And that's how I _know_ that this is bad magic. The person who appeared in my room, the one person who probably brought me the most grief in all of my life as a vampire…it was Ash. Because he had kidnapped me, you see? But now, he's changed so much that I know that he's not evil. And he's _not dead_. I'm telling you guys…we have nothing to be afraid of."

Jez laughed. "Ash kidnapped you? How did James let him do that?"

"It's a long story," Poppy said, flushing. "So, do you guys believe me?"

"What you said…it makes sense," Keller said slowly, folding her hands on the tabletop. "But would you take the chance?"

"What chance?" the vampire asked, confusion evident in her burning green eyes.

"The chance that something would happen to James," Rashel cut in. "Because I wouldn't take that chance with Quinn. And Keller wouldn't take that chance with Galen. Look at Mary-Lynette. She won't take that chance with Ash, and neither will Thea with Eric, Gillian with David, Hannah with Thierry, or Maggie with Delos. And we already know that Jez wouldn't take the chance with Morgead."

This made Poppy fall silent, tears forming in her eyes as she thought of what could happen. After a beat of dead silence, she said, "I wouldn't. I won't. I _can't_. If anything happened to Jamie…I would die."

Hannah, who had been quiet this whole time, spoke up now. "Well, there's only one thing we can do," she said, her voice cracking. She worked hard to steady her hands as she smoothed them over the counter, trying to strong for the others. She was the Lady of Circle Daybreak, after all. "We have to leave."

Protests rose around the room, and she raised her hands to quiet them.

"Lady Hannah, I can't leave Jamie! It'll hurt…I can't be away from him!" Poppy cried, the tears falling down her cheeks.

"Poppy, I know how you feel," Hannah said gently. "I feel the same way about Thierry. But, I would rather hurt myself than see him get killed. And I'm sure that if you think about it, you'd feel the same way too. It's the only thing we can do, Poppy."

She rubbed her eyes and gave a small smile, accepting the turn of events. "I guess you're right, Lady Hannah."

"We should leave tonight, while the guys are still away. It'll be harder to leave if we see them," Rashel said. As much as it hurt her, she had to think tactics. Ideally, they should be able to leave whenever they felt like going. But in reality, they all knew that if they were reunited with their soulmates, they would never be able to leave.

They all nodded their agreement, and left to go to their respective bedrooms. Hannah trudged back to the master bedroom with a heavy heart, and then grabbed her bags and filled them with clothes, fighting tears the whole time.

It was going to be a long night.

XxXxX

Everything was falling into place, and Blaise couldn't be happier. She had been watching through the window as the events unfolded, just as she had hoped they would. All they needed to do now was leave the mansion. And the next morning, when the boys all came back, they would be in for a surprise.

And Blaise? She would be in for a treat.

A strange gnawing was brought to life in her stomach, and she clutched at her shirt uneasily. This feeling had only been happening to her for a few hours, but already, she was familiar with what it was called. Guilt. She thumped her head against the wall and groaned, despising this show of weakness.

Thea. Her cousin, her sister. Her one Achilles' heel.

If Blaise was going to be totally honest with herself, she felt bad about doing this to Thea. But a bigger part of her, consumed by jealousy, couldn't help it. Ever since Thea had found Eric, Blaise had wanted to find her soulmate too. Someone to love her, despite any flaws that she had. Someone to _want_ her because he wanted her, not because of some silly accessory.

And every time someone in her family found their soulmate, the feeling got worse. James and Poppy? Ash and Mary-Lynette? Jez and Morgead? Even Quinn and Rashel…they were all grains of salt being poured into her wound, and she _hated_ it. She loathed the idea of being half, when everyone else in her life was a whole.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when all of the girls left the house, their arms laden with bags. All of their heads were bowed and she knew that they were trying not to cry. From what she had heard, a soulmate was like your other half…your everything. She knew that it must have taken a lot of guts and willpower for the girls to leave their guys. She felt a strange respect for them; they were stronger than she had initially thought. But underneath her respect, she also felt a strange uneasiness. Obviously, they looked miserable; more miserable than she had ever seen them look. And what would happen if they ever found out that this whole thing was her fault?

She sidestepped to get a better look, and felt something hard beneath her shoe. Before she had to chance to identify the object, she heard a loud _crack_ and her heart sank. It was a branch, which she had now snapped, and the sharp sound cut through the still, night air. She glanced at the girls, but they were all too absorbed in their task to pay attention. That is, except for the girl at the very end - the one with the flaming red hair.

Blaise bit her lip as Jez twisted her neck to look behind the bushes, her silvery-blue eyes narrowed. But after a moment, her face slackened, and she turned back to the others, handing Keller her bags. Then, she stepped around the side and disappeared from view.

Blaise let out her breath and combed one hand through her hair. That was close; she would have to be more careful next time. Except that, she thought with a grim smile, there wasn't going to _be_ a next time. Not if she had anything to say about it.

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**Please review, you guys! :)  
**


	3. More Black Than Light

**Hello people!**

**I realized that I had spelt Mary-Lynnette wrong in the last chapter, so I apologize for that. My bad :)**

**Anyways, this is the second Chapter, and things are about to get interesting, I assure you. Just wait until the end, and you'll see what I mean. And I just wanted to tell you guys that even though I do have like, the next three chapters planned out, it might be a while until I put them up. See, I have MAJOR homework, and also another story in a different fandom that I'm working on, so I'm trying to ration my time wisely. But don't worry, the third Chapter should be up in a couple weeks, at least!**

**Also, this is a very important update, as far as I am concerned. Today marks the one year anniversary of my joining Fanfiction! I feel so...good :)**

**Ok, sorry, I know that this is getting long, and I apologize, but there was something else that I wanted to say. I'm pretty new to this fandom, so most of you guys don't know me. Hi...I'm mspink93! Please feel free to message me if you wanna talk...making new friends is fun lol!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; LJ Smith does**

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Chapter 2

_More Black Than Light_

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Mary-Lynnette hoisted her duffel bag higher up on her shoulder and followed the others out the front door, her feet dragging against the floor. She didn't want to leave Ash, especially not after they had just been reunited again. Sending him away for that year had been the dumbest thing that she had ever done, and now that she and her soulmate were finally back together again, they couldn't even have a full _year_ of happiness before everything was ruined – again.

She noticed that the footsteps behind her had died out, and glanced over her shoulder. Jez, who was bringing up the rear in their little expedition, had moved away from the group. She was standing stock-still, scrutinizing one of the overgrown (but still elegant) bushes in the garden. The wind was blowing her hair back, and she looked like a painting; otherworldly, beautiful and just perfect.

Mary-Lynnette felt a stab of…not jealousy, exactly, but more like self-consciousness. Here she was, among eight other girls, and she was probably the most generic looking of them all. Curly brown hair, deep blue eyes – all of her features just screamed _plain!_; the only thing that set her aside from everyone else was her deep love for the stars.

But, a low voice in the back of her mind reminded her, Ash loves you just the way you are. Who cares if you're not as breathtaking as the others? To Ash, you're perfect, and that's all that really matters. Her heart, which had sped up at even the mere thought of her vampire soulmate, stopped beating suddenly, sending a pain through her chest. No more, I can't think about Ash anymore, she told herself, twisting the ends of her hair together. It's just too painful.

"Mary-Lynnette, are you ok?" Keller asked, throwing the duffel bag in the trunk of the mini-van. The concern in her voice made Mary-Lynnette look up, and she tried to flash Keller a shaky smile. She didn't want to seem too weak in front of everyone; and of course, it didn't help that Ash had told the other Circle Daybreak members before she had even arrived just how brave she was.

"I'm fine," she said, digging her nails into her palm. For the first time that night, she got a good look at Keller, and her stomach dropped. The shapeshifter's gray eyes looked bleak, and her ponytail was falling down. She looked more tired than Mary-Lynnette had ever seen her, and her heart went out to her. Everyone knew the story of how she and Galen had found each other. About how even though she had resisted the soulmate link at first, she finally came to accept the fact that Galen loved her. And how the love triangle between her, Galen and Iliana had almost kept them apart. "Are _you_ ok, though, Keller?"

She shrugged and tossed Jez's bag on top of the pile, slammed the trunk door shut and then dusted her hands off. "Well, I'll always be alone, remember?" she said, trying to sound nonchalant. Mary-Lynnette knew better, having been away from her soulmate already. Keller was hurting, but she didn't want anyone to know. Without thinking, she wrapped the girl in a loose hug. For the first time ever, Keller the fighter and Mary-Lynnette the stargazer were on the same page and it felt surreal. Heartwrenching.

Rashel appeared around the side of the van and looked questioningly at them. Mary-Lynnette could see that her emerald eyes lacked the spark that she had come to equate with the vampire hunter, and her hair looked messy, as if she had run her fingers through it several times. "Guys, come on, it's time to go."

Mary-Lynnette gave Keller a small smile at then followed the others as they all piled into the van. Rashel hopped up front behind the wheel, and Keller took the seat next to her, flipping the visor up against the roof. The only person who wasn't seated was Jez. She was standing in front of the open door, her arms crossed over her chest and a look of disgust on her face.

"There is _no way_ I am getting in that thing," she said, narrowing her eyes into slits.

Hannah sighed, and Mary-Lynnette couldn't help thinking that it had a certain heartbroken air to it. "Why not, Jez? Come on."

She shook her head, and her red hair shimmered in the moonlight. "First of all, cars suck. A motorcycle is the only way to travel; why box yourself in? Are you sure that I can't take my motorcycle?" When everyone nodded their heads firmly, Jez grumbled and threw her hands up in the air. "Second…a mini-van? We're running away in the dead of night, and you guys choose to use a mini-van? I know that we all have to ride together, but a mini-van is just about the most uncool thing that you can drive. Why not a limo? Thier-err… _they _have a lot of limos here." Jez changed gears when she saw the pain flash through Lady Hannah's eyes.

"Jez," Keller sounded as tired as she looked. "Just get in the van. At this rate, we'll still be in the driveway fighting when the guys come home. Do you want that?"

This shut the girl up. She jumped into the vehicle without a word and shut the door before settling into the only vacant seat and fastening her seatbelt. Once everyone was ready, Rashel sped out of the driveway, taking the familiar roads like an old pro. The plan was that they would drive for as long as it took for them to reach a decent hotel. Then they would rent a couple suites and rest up, only to leave the hotel and hit the road again. Mary-Lynnette wasn't sure where they would head after that, but she had a feeling that the distance between the van and Thierry's mansion would be steadily increasing. Rashel gave the impression that she wouldn't stop for anyone.

She must really love Quinn, she thought for a fleeting second, before she realized that everyone in the van would do the same thing if they were driving. They all loved their soulmates, and if going away meant that they would be kept safe, then so be it.

"I meant to tell you guys," Jez began, leaning back in her seat. Her eyes held a tragic look to them, as if she had just seen someone she loved get murdered. Mary-Lynnette shivered and scolded herself for thinking that way before turning her attention back to what her friend was saying. "I thought that there was someone in the bushes when we were leaving. I heard a twig snap, which must have meant that someone broke it; stepped on it, probably."

"I didn't see anyone," Maggie said slowly. "Did you guys see anyone?"

They all shook their heads and murmured negatives.

"I didn't see anyone either, but I still think that someone was there," Jez said. "It's just this feeling that I get. Remember, I've been in a gang; I know when someone is trying to stalk in the shadows."

This caused everyone to keep silent for a moment, until Keller broke the ice. "I'm glad Iliana is staying with Mother Cybele away from Las Vegas," she said, craning her neck to look back at all the girls. "Because she couldn't have come with us, and she _cannot_ keep a secret. I'm amazed that everyone doesn't already know that she's the Witch Child. She would have definitely told the guys where we'd gone."

Although there was still an unbelievable amount of sadness in Poppy's eyes, she cracked a mischievous smile. "Are you sure you're not just happy because then she can't console Galen?"

There was a moment of silence, and then everyone chuckled weakly, Keller included. "That thought _may_ have crossed my mind," she said. "But he'd never fall for her. He already had a chance, but he didn't take it, did he?"

"We're here!" Rashel cried out, cutting into the conversation. She swerved into a parking space in front of a fancily lit hotel. The building was as tall as the eye could see, and there were bright, hot lights on every floor, illuminating each story as the night wore on. Mary-Lynnette could faintly see a flashing red light very far in the distance, and she knew that it was to signal to the planes how high the hotel protruded.

"Isn't this hotel a little too close to the mansion?" Maggie questioned, pushing her hair out of her eyes. She tilted her head back and stared up at the structure before turning and gazing in the direction that they had come from. "The boys will find us in no time if we stay here."

"Actually," Gillian emerged from the confines of the van and leaned against the side, resting her head on the metal. "We're not really that close to the mansion. I know that it felt like we had only been driving for half an hour, but Rashel was driving so fast that we're pretty far away; an hour and a half at least." Her eyes were puffy, and if the crushed up tissue in her hand was any indication, she had been secretly sniffling in the back of the van for the whole drive.

Keller opened up the trunk and started tossing bags left right and center. Mary-Lynnette barely had time to blink before her bag was being chucked at her, and she slung the pack over her shoulder, crossing it around her body so that she wouldn't have to hold it. Keller snapped the trunk closed and then all eight girls walked into the hotel lobby.

Mary-Lynnette saw eyebrows go up all over the place as the other occupants registered their arrival. There were teenage boys openly gawking at all of them, and her heart started to pound. Ash would not like the way they were looking at her…

"Stop it," she told herself quietly, making Thea look at her in confusion. She grimaced and explained, "I was thinking about Ash…and I need to stop thinking about Ash. It hurts too much."

Thea nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. Every time I think about Eric, I feel like I'm missing a limb. I just feel so _wrong_ without him, you know?"

Rashel rang the bell on the check-in counter and a moment later, the hotel manager appeared. His jaw dropped at the sight of nine teenage girls, all holding luggage, standing in the middle of his hotel lobby, but he quickly pulled himself together and approached the desk, his hotel-manager smile in place. He ran one hand over his balding head. "Hello ladies, welcome to the Hotel DuBois. How may I help you?"

"Well, Marshall," Rashel began, tapping one finger to her shoulder. Mary-Lynnette wondered what she was doing, and how she knew the hotel manager's name, when she noticed that Marshall was wearing a nametag…in the exact same spot where Rashel was pointing to. Oh…now it all made sense.

"We would like to rent the penthouse for the night," Rashel said, and slapped a credit card down on the counter. Quinn came from one of the richer families in the Night World, and had insisted that he share some of his wealth with Rashel. That was, of course, before Hunter had stolen all the money from his adopted son. "And honestly, Marshall, I don't care how much it costs. Just charge it."

The flustered man picked up the credit card as if it were made of gold and swiped it in the machine, his eyes bugging out of the sockets when the card wasn't declined. Mary-Lynnette guessed that with all of the money that people lost in Las Vegas, their cards were declined more frequently than not. Her train of thought was short lived as the man slid the credit card and a room key across the counter, both of which Rashel picked up and held in her fist.

The girls all went to the elevator, and once they were all inside, Jez pushed the button to get to the penthouse. They rode in silence, the occasional foot tapping against the tiled floor preventing anything to turn awkward. Mary-Lynnette knew that they were all thinking about their soulmates, and she was no exception. As much as she tried to avoid bringing Ash to mind, he stubbornly stayed there, images of his ash blond hair and ever-changing eyes flashing through her mind. The boy who had repented for all he had done, and changed his whole life for _her_…only to be rewarded with her leaving him.

The elevator doors slid open, and the girls stepped out into the penthouse. Jez audibly scoffed and crossed the room, dropping her bag on the floor behind the couch. "This is the penthouse?" she asked, her eyes roaming around the room. "The mansion is much better than this place."

Mary-Lynnette couldn't help but agree. Everything looked worn and frayed here, as if this room had been lived in thousands of times – which, she considered, was probably the case. There was a stain on the rug in the kitchenette, and a bump in the wallpaper in the hall. For a penthouse of a hotel, this place was pretty weak.

"Anyways, I guess that we should all rest up for the night," Thea suggested, knotting her hair into an impromptu bun. "If we want to leave and continue on our way tomorrow, then we should at least get a little rest."

They all agreed and dispersed, dropping their bags onto any random bed, not caring in the slightest about whether their bedroom was the best or not. The view didn't really matter when all you wanted to do was curl up underneath your comforter and cry. Or that was what Mary-Lynnette was quickly learning.

She took off her jacket and hung it on the bedpost, just leaving her in her pyjama tank and pants. Then she lay down beneath the covers and stared at the ceiling, her eyes intense, but not really seeing anything. Instead, her mind was whirring as she tried to figure out where they were going to go from here. The first thing she thought of was clothes. She had only packed one pair of jeans, one pair of shorts, and three t-shirts. There just simply wasn't enough room in her duffel bag for anything else. And then she thought of their next move. Where were they going to go? What were they going to do? They couldn't run their whole lives; they would have to settle eventually.

She flipped over onto her side, but she still wasn't comfortable. Giving up, Mary-Lynnette got out of bed and walked over to the glass door. If any of the others noticed what she was going, they didn't give any indication. She opened the door and ducked outside, trying not to make any noise in case any of her friends had already fallen asleep. She continued walking until she had reached the railing, and leaned her forearms against it, her face turned upwards.

Even the stars look sad tonight, she thought, studying the night sky. The stars, which normally sparkled and shone whenever she looked at them with Ash, now looked dim, their twinkling staggered. There was more black than light tonight, and Mary-Lynnette was suddenly overwhelmed with an intense feeling of _longing._ For her soulmate, and for her stars. Her stars who had kept her company when her soulmate was out repenting…her stars who had given her the strength to hope while he was gone.

The feeling in her chest was raw and tender; physical pain. It was physically painful for her to be away from Ash. She let one tear slide down her cheek, leaving a trail of saltwater. "Even when we're apart, we'll be looking at the same sky," she murmured, and finally let the tears fall.

XxXxX

Morgead just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Despite the fact that it had only been a few hours, he felt like he hadn't heard from Jez in days. And he kept getting this sense of dread in the pit of his stomach. Dread, and anger and sadness. They crashed over him like an emotional tidal wave, knocking the breath out of him. _That_ was how powerful the emotions were.

The limo was unusually quiet as the boys drove back home from their mission, and he couldn't help but feel that they were having the same problem as him. James was frowning; his eyebrows furrowed so tightly that it looked painful. Even Galen, who always seemed calm, had a troubled look in his eyes.

"Do you all feel…sadness?" Morgead asked, his own eyebrows forming a tent over of his bright green eyes.

"Yes," Thierry answered quietly.

"I do too," Quinn put in. He clenched his fists, mad at the thought of anything making his Rashel upset.

"So do I," Ash said. "But that makes no sense. Why would Mare feel so upset? What happened?"

Morgead tried to contact Jez through their soulmate link, but she never replied. He swore and then turned to the others. "Jez isn't talking to me right now, apparently."

"She told you that?" James sounded surprised, but his expression never lightened.

"No," Morgead said harshly, his frustration getting the better of him. He remembered with a pang that if Jez were here, she would ruffle his hair and tell him not to get into one of his Excited States. Goddess, he missed her so much that it hurt. Being away from her for those two weeks while on the mission was torture. Almost as bad as it had been when she had left for the year. "I mean that she's not answering me when I call for her through the link. I call her name, but I just get nothing."

The car fell silent as all of the boys tried to contact their soulmates through the link. Their expressions darkened as one by one, they were ignored. Eyebrows raised, they stared at each other in dismay, a single phrase running through all of their heads. _What was going on?_

Things only got worse when they arrived at the mansion. At some point during the drive, Morgead had managed to convince himself that Jez was just playing a trick on him. That when he got home, his soulmate would race down the stairs, her fiery hair trailing behind her as she ran to him. And then, when he had her in his arms, everything would be all right. This fantasy was much better than the alternative; that she actually was upset about something, and extremely mad at him.

Which was why, when he stepped through the front door and Jez didn't come to meet him, something froze over in Morgead's chest. He ran up to their bedroom and knocked once on the door before sticking his head in. Please be in here, he though wildly, scanning the room. He stepped inside and saw that everything looked normal, except for the fact that the closet door was slightly ajar. Curious, he pulled it open, and what he found made his heart stop.

Jez's favourite leather jacket was missing, along with her best pair of jeans and a couple of shirts. Morgead dropped to his knees and frantically searched the ground, where he knew she kept her bag. Its absence only made him more worried, and he tore out of the room and down the stairs.

"Thierry!" he called. He ran into the living room, where all of the guys were, their faces drawn and bleak. "Thierry, Jez is missing!"

The made vampire looked at him shook his head. Morgead noted that the sadness had slowly crept back into Thierry's eyes, and in that instant, he knew. All of the girls were gone. And it seemed, as much as he hated to admit it, that they had left of their own free will. There were no signs of a struggle, and clothes were missing. Bags were missing. Obviously, they had packed their bags and gone.

"Why though?" Morgead managed to croak out before he dropped onto the couch. He couldn't believe that this was happening to him again. That Jez would leave him with no explanation, no information, nothing. He thought it had been bad the first time around, when he hadn't even known that they were soulmates. But now, after having realized that they were meant to be together…it was much, _much_ worse.

Quinn shook his head sadly. "We don't know. We can't seem to figure out why all of the girls would just up and leave. Have any of the girls ever shown any desire to leave the mansion before, anything that they told any of you, or you saw in their minds?"

They all shook their heads.

"I think that this was last minute," Galen said from where he was sitting on the ground. When everyone else turned to look at him, he continued. "All that's missing is a couple articles of clothing, and a bag. They left everything else in the rooms; important keepsakes and other items. If they had been planning this for a long time, then all of their stuff would have been packed. And suitcases would be gone, not duffel bags."

Morgead studied the blond prince. He looked positively miserable, as if nothing worse had ever happened to him in his life. He remembered that Keller had pushed him away in the beginning, quite similar to how Jez had left him. They were in the same boat here.

Delos nodded, and some of his hair fell into his yellow eyes, obscuring his gaze. "That makes sense," he praised, his voice hollow. He looked like he had aged five extra years in the time between the limo ride and now, and Morgead knew that it was all due to Maggie leaving. He vaguely wondered if the girls felt as badly as they did, when he was hit with a bolt of lightning.

"The sadness!" he exclaimed, sitting up so quickly that he fell back against the cushions once more. He leaned forward – slower, this time – and looked at the assortment of boys around him, his eyes gleaming with hope. "Do you think the sadness that they were all feeling was because they were away from us? Because they had to leave us?"

"It's possible," piped up Eric from the back of the room. "But why would they _have_ to leave us?"

Morgead deflated. "I don't know," he confessed. He tensed when he thought of all of the reasons as to why Jez would leave him, and his stance suddenly turned fierce. "But I intend to find out."

David got to his feet and stretched his hands over his head. "Can we continue this conversation in the kitchen?" he asked, sounding stuffy. His eyes were red, as was his nose, and Morgead realized that he had been crying. This was the first time that he had ever seen David cry, and he knew that the same went for everyone. Their eyebrows went up fractionally as they registered what he was saying. "Because I really need something to eat."

Thierry nodded wordlessly, and they all headed through the kitchen doors, stopping short soon after the threshold. Morgead blinked – hard – but when he opened his eyes, nothing had changed.

Sitting at the kitchen table, was Blaise. She lounged back on one of the chairs, her elbows propped up against the backrest in a way that drew attention to her low cut shirt. One leg was crossed over the other, and her high-heeled foot shook in an unheard rhythm, striking against the air. Her hair was twirled and placed over one shoulder, and her smoky gray eyes were shining, as if she knew a secret.

"Hello, boys."

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**Oooh, the plot thickens, huh? **

**Review, please! :)**


	4. Bottom of a Rainbow

**I'm really sorry for this late update, you guys!**

**The truth is, I've been really_super_**extra** busy with a whole lot of schoolwork that I've had. Well, that's only partly the truth. The other half of truth is that I had lost where I had planned to lead this story, so I kind of hit a brick wall. Like, what should I make them do? What if it doesn't fit into where I want this story to go later on down the road? Anyways, I've discovered the best idea and plot line, so I have a good few chapters planned out in my notebook. Like honestly, at least 10 chapters coming up are all planned out, so all I have to do is write it. And as long as I have no more homework, then I'll be all good for writing!**

**Anyways, I think that I've rambled enough, don't you? Oh wait, one more thing! Actually...no, I forgot what it was. Maybe I'll remember later.**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L.J. Smith does.**

* * *

Chapter 3

_Bottom of a Rainbow_

* * *

Gillian was pretty sure that room service was the best thing that anyone had ever invented. It gave her the convenience of staying in bed while someone else cooked her breakfast, and then brought it to her. And what made this whole thing even better, was that the hotel menu had her favourite breakfast dish – sausage and egg burrito, with melted cheese drizzled all over the top. It took _forever_ to make when she was at the mansion, but worth every second.

She lifted the wrap with her two hands and took a bite, bringing her fingers up to her mouth as she chewed. In the bed next to hers, Thea took a sip of her orange juice and grimaced before setting the cup back down on her tray.

"What's wrong?" Gillian asked, tearing a corner of the wrap and popping it into her mouth. She took a swig of her water and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while she waited for her (distant) cousin to answer.

"I forgot that orange juice tastes sour when you eat it with pancakes," she answered, pushing her tray away from her and getting out of bed. She pulled her hair out of its ponytail and then redid it, catching any straggling strands and neatening them up. Then she looked at Gillian and inclined her head in the direction of their bedroom door. "Are you coming? We should all meet and decide what we're doing today."

Gillian nodded and dropped her half-eaten burrito. She wasn't that hungry anyways; there were other things on her mind. Like what David was doing right now…and what was in store for them. They were all on the run, but with no plan and limited time. She was sure that the boys would try to look for them once they found out that their soulmates had run away. They had to think and act fast to avoid being caught.

Everyone was gathering together when Gillian and Thea left their room. Mary-Lynnette was coming in from the balcony, where she had apparently spent the night, and Hannah was sitting down cross-legged on the couch, her blonde hair falling neatly down her back. It looked smooth, as if it hadn't tangled at all while she had slept. Rashel and Keller were next to Hannah, and Jez was perched on the arm of the couch, playing with her fingers. Maggie was laying back on the loveseat, her auburn hair splayed out all over the cushions, and Poppy was sitting down on the ground, one knee brought up to cradle her chin.

Once everyone had settled, Rashel broke the silence by asking the obvious question. "What should we do today? I think that we should keep moving, because by now, the guys are probably home, and once they realize that we're gone, they're going to come looking for us." Her thoughts mirrored Gillian's, and the blonde witch smiled tentatively at the vampire hunter. "And to avoid them finding us, we should try to be as far away from the mansion as possible."

"Clothes," Mary-Lynnette said unexpectedly, crossing her arms over her chest. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise and she said, "Well, I think that we all need to get more clothes. All that we have is a pair of jeans and a couple t-shirts, and that's definitely not enough to last us until we get to wherever we're going. So, I think that we all need to get a few more clothes; nothing fancy, just enough to get us through the trip."

Rashel considered this, and then nodded as she understood Mary-Lynnette's point of view. "Alright, Mare's right. We need some new clothes. So our first stop it the mall, and then where to from there?"

Poppy twisted her head around so that she could make eye contact with Rashel. "Why don't we go shopping first, and then come back here so that we can get our bags and stuff. We'll figure out our next step then. It makes no sense to mindlessly rush through things, especially if we don't want our soulmates to find us." She was unusually sombre this morning, but Gillian noticed something _else _different about her.

"Hey Poppy, what are you wearing?" she asked, leaning forward to peer at the oversized t-shirt.

Poppy's green eyes widened and she clutched at her shirt, scrunching the pattern between her fingers. This caused the fabric to hug her body a little closer, but anyone could see that the piece of clothing wasn't made to fit someone the vampire's size. "Nothing – a shirt, that's all, why?"

"Is that…is that _James'_ shirt?" Gillian asked incredulously, recognizing the design for the first time. It was the logo for one of the weird bands that James and Poppy liked. He had been trying to get Gillian to listen to their newest CD a couple weeks ago, and she could have sworn that he had been wearing that shirt while he did so. "Poppy, that's James' shirt, isn't it?"

She released her hold and the cloth fell back into place. "Yes, it's his shirt. I'm sorry guys, but I couldn't help it! I knew that I would miss him too much, so I stole one of his shirts to feel close to him. I just…I need him with me, you know?"

Gillian frowned. "Why didn't I think of that?"

Everyone laughed, and Poppy visibly relaxed. Gillian knew that she had been expecting a rebuttal from everyone for wearing James' shirt, but no one could really get mad at her for that. There was nothing wrong with taking a piece of your boyfriend's clothing, especially if you had to leave them unexpectedly. It was like having a little part of him with you wherever you went, and Gillian was a little upset that the thought that never even crossed her mind.

It took a while, but soon everyone was bathed and changed and ready to go. They went outside to their car, passing Marshall in the hallway. He flushed at the sight of them, and Rashel gave him a slight, two finger wave as she strode by. The people milling around in the parking lot stopped what they were doing to stare at the girls and a few of the boys even catcalled and wolf-whistled for them.

"Maggie and Hannah," Keller said, twisting around in the passenger seat to look at her two friends. "Do you guys have any money? Or credit cards, I mean. Do you have a credit card?"

It made sense that she would ask those two, Gillian thought, staring as the scenery flew past the window. Both Keller and Maggie's soulmates were princes, so it was obvious that they would have wanted to share their wealth and give them credit cards. And Lady Hannah was also an obvious case. Her soulmate was not only the first made vampire, but the Lord of the Night World. If she hadn't gotten a credit card from him, then maybe Gillian didn't know Thierry as well as she thought she did.

"I have a credit card," they answered simultaneously. Maggie even went so far as to hold the thin piece of plastic up, the edges glinting in the bright sunlight. Keller nodded and then turned back around to face Rashel, her expression thoughtful. "So, I guess that we can all get money out from the bank, and then use it to buy some clothes. But we can't go overboard, guys," she addressed everyone in the van with this statement. "We only have a limited supply of money, so we have to make it count."

Everyone nodded their agreement, and Poppy pulled an iPod out of her pocket. It was black, with a chrome-plated back. She unwound the earphones and plugged them into her ears, turning the volume up so loudly that Gillian could hear the lyrics as clear as day. For the second time in as many hours, Gillian thought that there was something different about her friend. She was a little too quiet for comfort; not the lively, bouncy vampire that they all knew and loved.

Before she could ask her what was wrong, Rashel stopped the car and everyone piled out. They were in front of the mall, which was usually a half hour drive from the hotel where they had spent the night. Rashel had gotten here in half the time and Gillian got the distinct feeling that she couldn't wait to get away from here. Anything to keep Quinn safe, she thought, following her friends into the mall.

Gillian couldn't help feeling that something was wrong. Everywhere that they went, people stared at them with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. The girls looked positively green with envy, and the boys looked as if they had to consciously stop themselves from drooling. Thea giggled next to her, and one of the boys looked as if he had died and gone to heaven.

"What's going on?" Gillian asked Thea quietly, ducking her head so that her hair fell onto her forehead. It was growing out now, almost to her shoulders, and swayed whenever she walked. Now, she gathered some behind her neck and tied it back with a ponytail holder, the resulting ponytail short and cute. She had always hated how it looked, but David had liked playing with it. She felt a pang as she remembered this and pulled her hair free, letting it settle on her shoulders once more.

"I think that they think we're hot," Maggie said, overhearing the question and shooting out her answer before Thea could respond. Her sorrel coloured eyes were shining, but then the light blew out, and they were cast in shadow. "I mean, I recognize the look from when I went to school, so that's probably what it is. Delos probably wouldn't like it though…," she trailed off. She let out a deep breath and then fell silent.

Gillian saw the obvious despair, and tried to change the subject. "Well, you're probably right," she said slowly, casting a glance over her shoulder. "Back for the week or so when I was the hottest thing in school – thanks to the help of Angel, of course – the guys all looked at me this way too."

By now, they were standing in the middle of a clothing store, and Maggie nodded once and smiled before checking out a table full of folded tees. They were brightly coloured and organized in such a way that the patterns were showcased, and Gillian found herself being drawn in. Since Keller had told them not to spend too much money, but Gillian still wanted tasteful clothes, and these shirts seemed like the perfect solution.

"Hey," a voice said behind her, and she turned to see a teenage boy standing next to her. He looked to be about her age, with glittering hazel eyes and a wide smile that revealed a dimple in his left cheek. "Do you need any help with that?"

The purple shirt that she was holding hung suspended in mid-air, an arm's length away from her scrutinizing gaze. She had just been about to see whether this was one of the shirts that she would purchase when this guy had interrupted her. Gillian couldn't really stay mad at him though. Not only was it his job to ask customers if they needed help, but she was quickly finding that his grin was contagious.

"I'm good," she answered, draping the shirt over her forearm. She made a move to pick up another shirt, but the boy gently cupped her hand with his. Confused, Gillian stared at him, her mind instantly full with thoughts of David. Whenever _he_ touched her, she got electric shocks coursing throughout her body. But this guy…all she felt was his cool hand on hers. No sparks, no chemistry, nothing.

"I'm John," he offered by way of explanation. She made a mental note not to let Rashel talk to him, and then tucked it away in the back of her mind. She was jolted back to reality when he applied the slightest bit of pressure to her hand, and she pulled away. She had just run away from her soulmate…she had no intentions to start dating again for as long as she lived. If she couldn't have David, then she didn't want anyone. "What's your name?"

"Gillian," she answered, adding a bright green t-shirt to the steadily growing pile across her forearm. She wasn't about to buy _all_ of the shirts, but she wouldn't mind trying them on and seeing which ones she liked best. With her eyes such an unusual colour, she had always had to make sure that her clothes didn't clash.

As if John could read her mind, he cocked his head to the side and gazed at her. "Your eyes are the most unusual colour," he said, brushing his dark hair off of his forehead. "A light violet, but it still has some kick to it. Kind of like…kind of like the bottom of a rainbow."

"Thanks," she said, and suddenly got the feeling that this conversation meant more to him than it did to her. Trying not to be rude, she turned slowly and started towards where her friends were gathered, their arms laden with clothes as well. John matched his pace with hers and chattered easily, not taking the hint that she wasn't interested.

"Hey Gillian, did you find anything you liked?" Maggie called out once she had caught sight of her friend. She had a baby blue shirt slung over her shoulder, and was trying to fold a red one into a perfect square. She was failing miserably though, and the expression on her face clearly stated that she had had enough. She was just about to put it down when John swooped into action, plucking the cloth from her fingers and expertly folded the shirt in two seconds. "Whoa."

John smiled and set the shirt down on one of the display tables. "It's why I get paid," he said, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. "No big deal. So, are you guys Gillian's friends?"

Maggie and Thea exchanged a glance when John said their friend's name, but managed to answer smoothly. "Well, I'm her cousin," Thea said, bringing one hand up to her throat. "And this is our other friend, Maggie. Actually, everyone in this store is kind of our friends. We came as a group. So, do you work here? And how do you know Gillian?"

"I just met her," he said, hitching a thumb over his shoulder. His face flushed instantly, and Maggie's eyebrows flew up. Her eyes, which were still covered in shadow, slowly showed a spark of realization, and she turned her quizzical expression to Gillian.

The lost witch, for her part, knew exactly what was going through her friend's mind. _Do you like him? Do you know he likes you? Are you going to give him a chance? What about David?_ Gillian was so sure that Maggie was thinking this that she could almost hear the words in her head. She levelled Maggie with a gaze and shook her head slightly, letting her know that the answer to her first question was a negative.

"I'm going to go and try these on," Gillian announced, eager to get away from John and his sidelong looks. It wasn't that she didn't like him; in fact, she found that she really did. He was funny, and sweet and really nice. But she knew that what he felt for her was completely opposite to what she felt for him, and with the thought of David still fresh in her mind, she wasn't ready for that yet. She didn't think that she would be ready for it ever.

Once inside the dressing room, Gillian breathed a huge sigh of relief and stripped off her t-shirt, ruffling her hair as she did so. As she pulled the bright purple tee over her head, she gasped and let out a muffled scream, her hands flying to her mouth. Her eyes widened as she took in the figure of Angel leaning against the wall, his arms crossed against his chest and an utterly wicked look on his face.

"Gillian!" she heard outside, accompanied by the sound of thudding footsteps. Gillian heard this, but she couldn't process the information. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight of her cousin. His eyes were red, just as they had been the last time she saw him, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"What do you want, Angel?" she asked, her voice shaking. She lowered her hands and clasped them together, trying to control the trembling. "Angel – Gary, please, tell me."

The footsteps neared as he opened his mouth. He hissed, and then disappeared the moment that the changing room door broke open. Rashel stood in the doorway, her stake ready, Keller close behind her. She couldn't exactly transform into her panther form in the middle of the store, but she looked like she was ready to kick butt, whether she was in her panther form or not.

"What happened?" John asked, peering over Keller's shoulder. This was the first time that Gillian had noticed his presence, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to tell them what happened as long as he was here. Instead, she settled for being as vague as she possibly could, while still letting her friends know what had happened.

"I thought I saw something, that's all," she said, and sent a meaningful glance in Thea's direction. Just as Gillian had hoped, Thea understood exactly what was going on, and she gasped softly, her chocolate eyes widening. Maggie, who was standing next to Thea, looked between the two, and suddenly understanding washed over her face.

"Oh," she squeaked, running one hand through her hair.

"Yeah," Gillian said. She gestured around the small room and tugged gently at the shirt she was wearing. "But nothing is here now, so it'll be ok. Just let me change into my shirt, and we'll go back home, right?"

Everyone agreed and left Gillian alone again. John was the first to go, but not without casting a glance over his shoulder, his light eyes running over Gillian's face worriedly. She tried to make her answering smile reassuring, but she didn't think that she pulled it off very well. Her smile seemed too thin, like it was frozen in place and could break off any second.

As she changed her clothes (quickly this time), Gillian couldn't help but remember Angel's malicious smile. It felt like it was burned into her memory, like no matter how hard she tried, the image would never go away. And stuck on a continuous loop in her head was the single word that he had hissed before he disappeared. The single word that had shattered her whole world.

_David_.

XxXxX

James was uneasy. Blaise was his cousin, and right now, he recognized the look that she was giving them. It was the look that she had given him countless times when they were children, and she bragged about knowing some all-important piece of information. It was the deadly shine in her eyes that clearly stated I-know-something-you-don't-know…and-I-know-you-wanna-find-out.

He knew for certain that Ash recognized the look too, but he felt as if he couldn't move to even glance at his vampire cousin. Luckily, he didn't have to, because a second later, Ash's voice was resounding in his head, his voice on edge. _She knows something about the girls, but I don't think that she'll tell us. She wants more fun._

_I know_.

Before Ash had met Mary-Lynnette, he and Blaise had been very similar. They both lived for the thrill, and enjoyed stringing people along until they got exactly what they wanted. And they both had been sneaky and just plain mean, doing whatever they wanted, mostly whenever they wanted to. This was why James trusted completely what Ash had said; how better would know?

And this was also why what Blaise said next utterly floored James.

"I know why the girls left. And I'm going to tell you." She straightened up in her chair and brought her foot down, her sharp heel smacking against the tiled floor. With a dismissive wave of one hand, she brushed a curtain of hair behind her shoulder and fixed her gaze onto Thierry. "They wanted to get away from all of you."

James felt as if all of the breath had been knocked out of him. How could his Poppy want to get away from him? Ever since he had changed her into a vampire, she had always told him how much she loved him. How glad she was that they were finally able to be together. And he was just supposed to believe that she would leave because she didn't want him? It just didn't make sense.

And yet, that didn't stop the icy cold feeling from crawling up in the pit of his stomach. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he was faced with the slim chance that this might be true. He had read somewhere that on occasion, soulmates didn't always stay together. What if all of the girls had agreed that they had had enough, and left? Packed their bags early in the morning, and driven away, sure to be long gone before the boys even arrived back at the mansion.

"How could they do this?" Delos demanded, his dark, wavy hair messed up from where he had run his fingers through it. He looked positively furious, and yet heartbroken at the exact same time. It was an expression that James was sure only Delos would be able to pull off. "Tell us everything you know!"

Blaise raised an eyebrow at the vampire prince, her mouth set in a thin line. "Excuse me?"

"He's just upset that Maggie left," James cut in. "But Blaise, please, what do you know? Do you know where they went? Why they left? Why did they want to get away from us? Did they tell you anything?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sorry, all I know is that they wanted to get away from you guys. Why don't you try and contact them through your soulmate links?"

"We already tried that," Morgead said, his shoulders slumping even further. All of the light had left his emerald eyes, and he looked like he just wanted to collapse. James remembered that Jez had already left him once, so this must be like reopening an old wound. Only this time, they threw a whole bucket of salt in there before they patched up the skin again.

"Well, I guess it's only you and me, boys."

James turned on his heel and made for the stairs, disregarding the glare that appeared his cousin's face as he did so. He had just lost the most important thing to him in his whole life; he just wanted to be alone for a while. Lie back on his bed, turn up his music loudly and think of ways to get his Poppy back. Because no matter what she wanted, he _needed_ her back. Without Poppy, he was nothing. And James was not one to think sappy thoughts for no reason, but he knew that this one was true. Without his soulmate, nothing would ever be alright again.

He flopped back onto his bed and rested his arm across his face, his eyes fitting neatly into the crook of his elbow. He knew that he wasn't the only one who wanted to get his soulmate back, but nobody seemed to know what to do. They were all moping in their rooms now – just like him. He was struck with the sudden need to bathe, to stand underneath the hot stream of water until the entire bathroom fogged up. Then, maybe when he got out of the shower, Poppy would be waiting in their bedroom for him, perched on the corner of the bed, her legs swinging.

He knew that that was impossible; wishful thinking on his part. But he still found himself getting to his feet and making his way over to his dresser. He pulled open the uppermost drawer and rummaged around, trying to find his favourite t-shirt. It was nowhere to be found, and he dug around a little more aggressively, shoving aside his other clothes.

A flash of white caught his eye, the stark colour a contrast against his dark tones. His curiosity got the better of him, and he picked it up using the tips of his fingers, the folded square falling open as he moved it through the air. Wasting no time, James flipped it open all of the way and scanned the single word that was written on the page in his soulmate's handwriting.

_Sorry_.

Did she mean that she was sorry for running away or sorry for taking his shirt with her (as he was sure that was where it was…with Poppy. It had been her favourite, after all). There was one thing he knew for sure, though. He was going to find out.

He stuffed the note into his pocket and raced down the stairs, calling for all of the boys to follow him into the living room. As he passed by the glass door that led to the porch, he saw Blaise sprawled out on one of the pool chairs, clad in a deep red string bikini. Large sunglasses were perched on the bridge of her nose, and her dark hair lay over the back of the chair, swaying in the breeze. She had an iPod plugged into her ears, and was tapping her fingers in an unheard beat, her head bobbing from side to side in time.

"What is it?" Eric asked, scratching his arm as he stepped into the room. He was followed by all of the other guys, and their expressions told James that they would rather be anywhere but here at this moment. Well, he had something very important to show them, and it couldn't wait another second. If his plan was going to work, they all had to pull together _now_ and leave while Blaise was distracted.

"Poppy left me this note," he announced, holding the piece of paper up in the air. He handed it over to Thierry and continued to explain while the blonde vampire scanned the page. "It says _sorry_, so I don't think that they left because they wanted to get away from us. I think that they felt that they had to leave, but I don't know why. I think that we should go and find them. And I think that we should leave now, before she," he pointed at Blaise, "realizes what we're going to do."

Thierry gave the note back to James and scratched the base of this throat, his expression thoughtful. "You're right," he said simply, looking at James with the most serious expression he had ever seen. "But how will we know where to look first?"

James turned to Delos, who raised his eyebrows at the sudden attention. "Delos, can't you communicate with Maggie through her dreams? Why don't you try and see if you can get any information from her? I don't think that she'll tell you right out, but maybe you can persuade her? Or read it in her thoughts or something?"

For the first time since they had arrived back at the mansion, Delos brightened. Without a word, he strode out of the room and up the stairs. A few seconds later, they all heard a door slam, and James knew that Delos was trying to speak to Maggie. He turned to look at everyone else, excitement shining in his gray eyes.

They were going to find their soulmates. They were going to find them if it was the last thing that they did.

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**I don't really think that this is my best, to be very honest with you. Actually, I don't like it too much. And it's really only a filler chapter, kinda.**

**Anyways, I'm sitting down and typing this out with a _pounding_ headache, because that is how much I love all of you! And I really love hearing what it is you have to say, so please review! It'll mean the world and more to me!**


	5. Unconscious Hope

**Hey everyone!**

**I actually have nothing to say right here, for like, the first time in my life. So I guess that I'll just let you get on to the chapter!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does.**

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Chapter 4

_Unconscious Hope _

* * *

"What about California?" Maggie suggested, trying to fit her clothes into her duffel bag. No matter what she did, the two new tees just got in the way of the zipper, stopping the bag from closing. She sighed and pulled the shirts out again, only to fold them in half and stuff them down until they almost touched the bottom of the bag. With a wrench, she pulled the zipper roughly along the track, letting out a breath when it reached the other side. She allowed herself a small smile and then looked up at all of her friends as she straightened the bag and slung it over her shoulder. "It's pretty far from Las Vegas, right?"

Poppy shook her head so fast that a bundle of curls hit her square on the cheek. She dismissed them with an impatient brush of her hand and wrapped the headphones around her iPod with precise movements. "We can't," she stated, dropping the iPod into her bag and zipping it up. "Me and Jamie are _from_ California. All of my friends and family are there."

Maggie scrunched her eyebrows as she regarded her friend. "Then you can go and visit all of them! What's wrong with going to California; don't you want to visit your parents?"

Poppy smiled ruefully and ducked her head under the strap of the duffel bag so that it was hanging around her body. She adjusted it with a twist and patted the soft canvas with one hand. "I'm supposed to be dead, remember? Jamie changed me because I had cancer…all of my family and friends think that I'm dead. I can't really go and visit them; as far as they know, I'm lying six feet under right now."

All of the Daybreakers knew this story, and Maggie was no exception. The truth was that she just couldn't believe it. Poppy had been her friend for coming up to a year now, and in all of the time that she's known her, the little vampire just radiated energy. She was always bouncing around and having a good time; she _was_ life. Sometimes, it was just hard for Maggie to wrap her head around the fact that one of her best friends was supposed to have died by now.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, moving over to gently grasp Poppy's arm. "I forgot. Where do you think that we should go, Pop?"

The vampire cracked her knuckles and turned her eyes upwards, staring at the ceiling as she contemplated their situation. A sudden light shone in her green eyes, and she looked at them excitedly. "What about Tennessee? After living in the city my whole life, it'll be fun to give the country a try, don't you think?"

"So, a small town in Tennessee?" Thea piped up from her seat on the ottoman. She exchanged a look with Gillian, who was beaming, and gave a nod. "That sounds perfect."

They had gone back to the hotel once they had left the mall, and all of the girls had gathered in the living room to discuss what had happened to Gillian. After throwing around possible ideas, Mary-Lynnette had asked the question that had been in the front of all of their minds; what were they going to do now?

"I think so too," Hannah said softly. She brushed some of her hair back over her shoulder and looked at each of the girls. "Think about it. The boys would never think to look in a small town on the outskirts of Tennessee. If we go there, they'll never be able to find us. And we'll be able to keep them safe."

They all nodded their agreement, although Maggie couldn't help but notice that Poppy had stiffened somewhere in the middle of Lady Hannah's speech. Her eyes were wide, and her back ramrod straight, but Maggie couldn't figure out anything that would make Poppy react that way. "Hey, are you ok?"

Poppy shook her head slightly and smiled at Maggie, her eyes clearing up. They narrowed until they were normal in size once again, and she relaxed her body, her shoulders sagging. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just excited, that's all. But where will we live? And how will we pay for a house?"

Rashel fiddled with the stake in her boot as she answered. "That's already covered."

"How?"

"Before I met Quinn, me and a friend bought a house in Wildflower Meadows. It was meant to serve as an unsuspicious base for when we went out vampire hunting, but it hasn't been used in years. I haven't even stepped foot in Tennessee since I was at least fifteen." She noticed all of the stares that her friends were giving her and got defensive. "Hey! Vampires don't only live in cities, you know! Sometimes, they like to hunt in less populated areas…it makes it easier for them to disguise their work as an animal attack."

"How do you know that your friend hasn't been using the house?" Keller asked, getting to her feet. She grabbed her bag and started heading for the door. The others followed her lead until all nine of them were gathered around the front door, their packs at the ready.

"She died a few days after we bought the house," Rashel said shortly, pausing to tighten her headband. When she saw the horrified and sympathetic looks that her friends shot her, she dropped her hands to the sides and looked at them, her eyebrows raised. "Well, being a vampire hunter isn't an easy job, and she went into it knowing that she could die. Besides, we weren't really that close – we just had the same strategic thinking."

Jez shrugged and opened the front door, crossing the threshold before the others had even realized what she was doing. "We have the plan, now let's get going," she called over to them, her red hair swinging down her back. "I can feel Morgead trying to contact me through the soulmate link, so the farther away we get the better."

Maggie followed after Jez, her bag bumping against her hip with each step that she took. Everyone else exited after her, until it was only Poppy left in the penthouse. She raised one leg to step out, but stopped just short of the doorway and gasped. They all turned to see what was wrong, but she had disappeared.

"Poppy?"

A moment later, she reappeared, holding her iPod up triumphantly. "Sorry guys," she said, shutting the door behind her. "I forgot my iPod, so I had to run back and get it. You couldn't expect me to leave it behind, could you?"

Maggie pursed her lips. She was _sure_ that she had seen Poppy drop the mp3 player into her duffel bag while they had been talking earlier. So then how could she have forgotten it? Obviously, she had run back to do something else, but what? Poppy seemed to feel the eyes on her, and glanced to her left, meeting Maggie's gaze. She smiled brightly and pocketed her iPod, then continued talking animatedly to Mary-Lynnette about something.

Before Maggie could question Poppy, Rashel beeped open the car locks and wordlessly ushered everyone inside, her movements compact. As Maggie stepped into the back of the mini-van, she guessed that Quinn was also trying to contact Rashel through the soulmate link, which was what was making her antsy. She herself was also constantly ignoring Delos as he tried to talk to her, which hurt more than she even thought was possible.

She rested her head against her window, the vibrations from the moving car travelling through the glass and causing her head to bump up every second. The scenery outside was just a blur of melded colours, greens and blues and red all smudged together until Maggie couldn't tell which was which anymore. She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, relaxing for the first time since she had left Thierry's mansion. She tried to forget how much she missed Delos, but her pain was always present in the back of her mind, like a constant reminder.

A flash of light suddenly caught her eye, and Maggie raised her head from the glass, straining to see what was happening. Other than the flash, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so she shrugged her shoulders and settled back into her previous position. She tried to get comfortable, but something was off, and she couldn't put her finger on what it was. The silence seemed endless, and with a start, Maggie realized what the matter was. The car was too quiet; usually, when the Daybreaker girls all got together (no matter the situation), noise followed.

Maggie lifted her head again to look around, and instantly wished that she hadn't. Her breath caught in her throat her eyes grazed over the empty car. In the front, Maggie could see that the steering wheel was still moving, but nobody was handling it. Her scream never managed to escape her body because when she blinked, she wasn't alone anymore. But when she discovered who was in the car with her, she promptly wished that it was just her and the phantom driver again.

"Maggie, why did you leave?" Delos asked, and his voice thick with sorrow. His dark curls were flopping over his forehead, obscuring his eyes, but Maggie could tell that they were darkened with pain. The dazzling yellow that she loved so much was now murky, the colour of mustard, and she hated that she had made them that way. Because she knew…she knew that his present state was her fault.

"Delos…I had to. Please understand," Maggie said, and she was shocked to hear that her own voice was warbly from her unshed tears. "I can't tell you, but please understand that it was something that I had to do. That we all had to do."

He considered this for a second, raking the hair away from his face. He seemed to be deliberating about something, and then his eyes cleared up a little, as if he had gotten some renewed inspiration. "Maggie, where are you going?"

She rolled her eyes, all traces of saltwater gone. Honestly, she loved Delos, but why would she go through all of the trouble to run away from him, only to tell him what her destination was? It was all too pointless. She decided not to take the bait, and instead crossed her arms over her chest, her sorrel-coloured eyes shining with defiance. "I'm not going to tell you, Delos."

He darted forward and grabbed her shoulders. His hold was gentle, but Maggie could feel the frustration churning in his muscles. His grip tightened slightly as he searched her face with beseeching eyes. "Maggie, please tell me. All of us just want our soulmates back…we miss you guys."

She raised her eyebrows, surprised that he wasn't going all princely on her. Then again, she reasoned, feeling very _right_ in his arms, Delos knew that she wouldn't tolerate it when he commanded things of her. They weren't in Black Dawn anymore, and she hated it when people bossed her around anyways. She wasn't going to stand for it. But Steely Neely was back with full force, and there was no way that she was going to tell Delos where they were all going.

"Maggie…tell me."

She envisioned a brick wall around her thoughts, attempting to shield them from her soulmate. From the look of unbridled shock that was currently painting his features, Maggie realized that she had done it properly; her thoughts were hidden from everyone around her. Including her soulmate. And now, there was no way that the guys would ever find out that they were headed for Tennessee. She allowed herself a mental high five, so caught up in her victory that she didn't even notice that Delos had let go of her.

She turned her face up to look at him, and was surprised to see that his eyes had a spark in them. It was almost as if he had gotten reason to believe in something that he was _sure_ didn't exist, and the result was breathtaking. With a pang, Maggie realized for the millionth time just how handsome Delos was, and her heart ached for him. Being apart from your soulmate was hard, and Maggie knew that this was only the beginning.

"I love you, Maggie," Delos said softly, brushing his lips gently against her forehead.

She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could say anything, he was gone. For a moment, she felt suspended as the eerie silence hung around her once more. Then, a loud crash sounded, and the van was filled with chatter once more. Maggie looked around and saw that her friends had reappeared, acting as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. As if she hadn't just been visited by her soulmate in her dreams. Of course, they had no way of knowing that, but it still shaken Maggie to her core. Because _of course_ the guys were looking for them. It wasn't too soon; they had only left mere hours before the boys had been due home.

"Maggie! You're awake!" Poppy exclaimed, her voice so loud that it startled Maggie out of her reverie. "What did you dream about? You were trashing around like crazy! What was going on?"

Maggie sat up straight and tied her hair back in a high ponytail, smoothing out any bumps as she tried to collect her thoughts. Honestly, she wasn't exactly sure where the dream had begun. It had just flowed so seamlessly into her reality that she was having a little bit of trouble separating the two. She supposed that the defining moment had been when the light had flashed brightly outside, so she chose to begin her story from there.

"You didn't tell him anything, did you Maggie?" Jez asked once Maggie had finished recounting her dream. Her eyes – such a strange mixture of silver and blue – were shining brightly, but Maggie couldn't tell if it was because of hope or anticipation. She had a feeling that Jez was torn between wanting Morgead to be able to find her, but her fierce need to protect him from harm. Truth be told, she wasn't sure if _Jez_ even knew which side was dominant.

But I guess we're all feeling that way, Maggie thought. She turned to face Jez squarely and answered confidently. "I didn't tell him anything. He tried to read my mind, but I blocked my thoughts from him. I _want_ him to be able to come and get me, but I don't want him to get hurt. It was what I had to do to protect him, so I did it. He was surprised, but I guess he'll get over it eventually."

"That's a relief," Hannah said, letting her head hit the back of her seat. Her fair hair fell over her face, and she moved it away with a sweep of one hand. She glanced at Rashel in the driver's seat and asked, "How much longer do you think it'll take for us to get to Wildflower Meadows, Rashel?"

The vampire hunter checked her rearview mirrors and switched lanes, flicking her indicator off with the twist of her fingers. "We should be able to get to the house in about half an hour or so," she said, glancing over her shoulder at Lady Hannah for a fleeting moment.

Maggie gasped. She knew that it took about a day and a half to drive to Tennessee from Las Vegas, but she had no idea that she had been asleep for that long! At most, she thought that she had been out for maybe an hour or two, not six!

As if she could read her mind, Poppy said, "You weren't asleep for too long, Mags; you can relax your face and lower your eyebrows now. Rashel drove so fast that she cut our travelling time in half. We left Las Vegas this morning, and we're reaching Wildflower Meadows tonight, so the trip really only took us about thirteen hours." Her words were punctuated with giggles, which Maggie assumed was aimed at her facial expression. She knew that her eyes were wide and her brows were way up, but she felt as though she couldn't control her features. It was exhilarating to know that in merely a couple hours, she would be starting a new life.

"We all would be," she murmured, ignoring the questioning look that Poppy threw her way. She sat back in the seat and kept her eyes trained on the scenery racing by, getting an odd sense of comfort in the ever-changing landscape. She pressed one hand against the cool glass as words and phrases ran though her head, all battling to convey her feelings best. After all, she finally settled on, we're all kind of the same. Always moving, never knowing what is coming next. A certain air of mystery behind an everyday life.

Maggie stifled a giggle as she realized how dramatic that sounded. She knew that what was coming would be tough, but she also knew that it would be manageable. She _was_ Steely Neely, in any case. And Steely Neely could handle anything.

XxXxX

Every passing minute felt like a day to Quinn; he couldn't get his mind off of his soulmate. Of course, he was worried about the other girls too, but, as always, his main focus was on Rashel. He had no doubt that she could hold her own in a fight if they got into trouble (Goddess forbid), but if she was feeling anything like he was right now – miserable, alone, cut in two – well, he didn't want her to feel that way. It was his job to keep her happy, not stand by idly as these emotions were thrust upon them both.

After what seemed like ages (but actually couldn't have been longer than fifteen minutes), Delos came down the stairs, looking as happy as any one of them could, given the circumstances. His eyes had a new light in them, and Quinn perked up, the uneasiness in his stomach practically begging for good news. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.

"I know where they're going," Delos announced, his eyes brightening even more as he spoke.

Immediately, the room broke out into noise as all of the boys tried to talk over one another. Quinn wasn't exactly sure what they were all saying, he only knew the words that were coming out of his own mouth. From the dirty looks that Delos kept shooting him, Quinn supposed that the prince didn't take too kindly to being bossed around, but he couldn't help it. Without Rashel, Quinn felt strange. Like half of him was missing, like he wasn't fully there.

"Shut up!" he cried, his voice echoing off of the high ceilings. Everyone turned to look at him, their eyebrows raised, but he only scowled. Before he answered them, Quinn glanced over his shoulder at Blaise, who was still lounging outside. She had flipped over so that she was lying on her stomach, and her bikini strings were untied to avoid tan lines. Her headphones were still plugged in though, which gave all of the boys an advantage. If she couldn't see or hear, then they would less of a chance of getting caught. "Everybody, follow me. Let's go out to the car, and Delos can tell us what he found out once we're inside."

"Why can't he tell us now?" Morgead asked. His emerald eyes also had a newfound light in them, making the colour contrast even more against his black hair. Quinn realized that _all _of the guys looked like they had been revitalized with just the tiny shred of hope that Delos had handed out to them. Once they found out exactly what Delos had discovered, there was the distinct possibility that they would celebrate. And Quinn didn't know about the others, but he didn't want to be anywhere near Blaise when that happened.

.

"Why are we driving?" Quinn asked, leaning forward. He rested his arms on the front seats and looked from James to Ash and then back again. James was in charge of the wheel, so he kept his eyes on the road, but he quickly nudged his cousin with his elbow, letting him know that he should answer the question. Before Ash could say anything, though, Quinn continued. "I mean, if they're driving and they got a whole day head start on us, why are we driving? We would never be able to catch up with them."

"We don't want to catch up with them," Ash answered, twisting around to look at his best friend. "We just want to find out where they're going, follow them and bring them back home. There's no way that we would be able to stop them from at this point."

Quinn sat back and considered this. As much as he hated to admit it, Ash was right; they would never be able to stop the girls. He was broken out of his thoughts when James jerked the car to the side, causing all of the boys to fall sharply to the left. Protests arose throughout the whole vehicle, but James pretended not to have heard them focusing entirely on the road.

"James, where are you going? Tennessee is the other way!" Eric said, sitting up and rubbing a spot on the back of his head. His tone suggested that although he was curious as to what was going on, he wanted to get to Tennessee as soon as possible – no time for detours.

Quinn knew how he felt. After Delos had told them where the girls were headed, James had all but yanked the key in the ignition and flown out of the driveway, actually leaving behind a trail of dust like in the movies. Blaise hadn't even realized what was going on, but it was only a matter of time before she walked back into the (empty) house. All of the guys had turned off their cell phones to try and avoid her calling them; they knew that their soulmates wouldn't be ringing them up any time soon anyways, so what was the point in keeping them on?

"You know, I still can't believe that Maggie told you where they were going," Quinn mused, pushing a lock of black hair out of his eyes. "After she kept saying how they all _had _to leave, I'm surprised that she gave in so easily."

"Actually, I was wondering that too," James said, his gaze not straying from the highway in front of him. He still hadn't answered Eric's question, and his posture indicated that he wasn't about to. The latter, for his part, was scowling – making this the first time that Quinn had ever seen anything other than a smile on his face. Although, with a soulmate like Thea, he supposed, a smile would never be far off. His adopted cross-cousin was just always so bright that she could make anyone feel happy. It was part of the reason why animals were so attached to her.

Delos grinned. "Well, she didn't actually tell me. And she blocked her thoughts so that I wouldn't be able to find out what their plan was. But she didn't block it too well because I caught a stray tendril of thought, one where she clearly stated exactly where they were headed." He shrugged, and a shock of waves fell onto his forehead, although he made no move to brush it away. "I guess that deep down, she wanted me to find out."

"James, where are we going?" Eric asked again, grabbing all of the attention away from Delos' explanation. He had surged forward so that he was gripping the back of James' seat, his knuckles white due to the ferocity of his grip. He wanted to find Thea really badly, and this little detour was getting in the way.

"Right here," James answered, turning into a hotel parking lot. He cut the engine and got out of the car, not bothering to provide an explanation to anyone. He ducked his head so that he was visible through the window and gestured for all of the others to follow his lead; by the time that Quinn and everyone else had gotten out of the limo, James was already halfway inside.

"James, what are we doing here?" Quinn asked, jogging to catch up to his friend.

"I just got this feeling that we should check out this hotel," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. By now, all of the Daybreaker guys had gathered around, looking at James with a mixture of confusion and interest. "It was like while I was driving, I heard Poppy in my head, telling me to check out the penthouse in this specific hotel."

"Why though?" Quinn asked. He glanced over his shoulder towards the front desk and saw a middle aged man with clear blue eyes staring at them, his mouth slightly ajar. There was an odd spark of recognition in his eyes, and in that instant, Quinn knew; this man had seen their soulmates. He took off towards the front desk, trying to keep his pace leisurely and casual. "James, come with me. Everyone else, stay here. I'm just going to go and talk to the manager for a little bit."

The man's nametag read Marshall – that much Quinn could see from across the room – and when he noticed that he was being approached, his eyes widened. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, and Quinn heard James stifle a laugh. Trying to keep his face straight, Quinn asked, "Marshall, can we please have the key to the penthouse? We're not staying the night, we just want to check for something and then we'll be going."

The manager put up no fight whatsoever, and Quinn assumed that James was influencing him. As far as Marshall knew, these two young men had already paid and was just collecting their room key. He pulled the flat piece of plastic out of his breast pocket and slid it across the countertop until it was nestled neatly underneath Quinn's hand.

"Thank you," Quinn said. He had just turned to go when something Marshall said caused him to stop in his tracks. He slowly spun around and exchanged a glance with James before asking the hotel manager to repeat himself. "Excuse me?"

"I said that you remind me of a group of girls who came in here last night. There were nine of them, all very beautiful, but all very sad. They left this morning, though. You guys kind of look like you could be their boyfriends…like you were all made for each other. Physically, I mean."

Quinn looked at James one more time, the wheels in his head turning at full speed. The girls must have been here; there was no other logical explanation. James seemed to have come to the same conclusion, because he wordlessly nodded his head, extracted the key from Quinn's fingers and hurried towards the elevator. The others all followed suit, an energized silence hanging over them as they rode up in the elevator. None of them dared to say anything, but Quinn was pretty sure that they were all wondering the same thing: where they going to get one step closer to finding their soulmates? Delos had found out that they were going to Tennessee, but that was as far as they had gotten, as far as information went.

Their noses wrinkled in disgust as they surveyed the penthouse, but they quickly snapped to attention and started to search all of the rooms. Quinn ran to the only unoccupied bedroom and checked all of the drawers, shutting the wooden planks together when he discovered that they were empty. He was about to leave the room when folded piece of paper caught his attention, the rumpled edges seemingly out of place against the smooth bedside table.

"James!" he called, the paper already in his hands. He recognized the loopy handwriting, and mentally thanked Poppy a million times for leaving this vital piece of information for them. It appeared as if she had ripped the piece of paper off of the old pad on the refrigerator, scrawled down the address quickly, and then left it on the table where she was sure it would be found. "James, Poppy left a note!"

Quinn didn't even have to blink before James appeared, his fingers already reaching for the sheet. He quickly read the address once, twice, three times and then smiled triumphantly at all of the others who had entered the room. Thierry raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side, studying the piece of paper intently.

"James…what is that?"

Quinn jumped in before James could answer. "It's their new address: 2584 Sunflower Road, Wildflower Meadows, Tennessee. It's where the girls are going to live."

David brightened. "Does that mean….?"

Quinn nodded, a breathtaking smile crossing his face. "There's only one thing to do now - go and find our soulmates. And we know exactly where to look."

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** Ok, so remember at the end of the last Chapter, when I said that I thought that Chapter 3 was pretty bad? I fully take that back now, and would like to give the honour to Chapter 4! I'm sorry about this one, but I was having a little bout with Writer's Block...well, I knew what I wanted to say, what I wanted to happen, but I was having some difficulty transferring it to document.**

**Anyways, I'm really sorry...and I know that this was semi-filler. I'm letting you know from now that the next Chapter is mega-filler, but then things should pick up from after that. It's all planned out :)**

**Review, please!  
**


	6. Like a BandAid

**Hey!**

**I'll fill everyone in at the end of this one, ok?**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does.**

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**Chapter 5

_Like a Band-Aid_

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Thea popped the last Cheeto into her mouth and brushed the orange powder from her fingers. She crumpled the snack packaging up into a ball and held the crushed bag in her hand as she stared at the large house that was slowly coming into view. The exterior was attractive: white washed walls with a sky blue trim and a wraparound porch – the kind of house that was usually described in story books. Although the house was larger than average, Thea knew that there wouldn't be nine bedrooms, and turned to Gillian, who was sitting on her left.

"Share a room?" she asked her, sweeping her hair off of her neck and twisting it into a loose bun.

Her cousin nodded and smiled. "Of course!"

Rashel pulled into the driveway and parked, pulling the keys out of the ignition and dropping them into her shirt pocket as she stepped out of the mini-van. She beckoned for everyone else to get out of the car too and then turned around and headed for the front door, her dark hair swinging with every step that she took.

"So, what do you think so far?" Thea asked the others, gesturing towards the structure that lay before them. Upon closer inspection, she could see that the house was pretty old; the sky blue paint was cracked and chipping in places, and there were a number of cobwebs stretching from board to board. "I actually really like it."

"Me too," Poppy agreed, adjusting her bag and gazing up at the house, her neck craned back. "It's cute, and pretty quaint. Just the house that I imagined when I said I wanted to live in the country." She realized the same thing that Thea had in the car, because she glanced sideways at Maggie and flashed her a brilliant smile, her eyes twinkling. "You wanna share a room with me?"

Maggie nodded at the exact moment that Rashel appeared on the front porch, her hands on her hips. "Are you guys coming or what?"

The inside of the house looked much cleaner than Thea had expected it to. She had painted this picture in her head of dust coating every surface, and spider webs decorating every corner, the light glinting off of the strands of each intricate design. After all, Rashel had said that she hadn't been to this house in at least two years. But as soon as she stepped foot through the doorway, all she saw was glittering floors and spotless countertops. The couches looked plush and soft, and there were beautiful paintings hanging on the walls.

"Whoa," she breathed out, taking in every inch. Not only was the house much cleaner than she had expected, but it was also one of the most gorgeous houses that she had ever seen – second only to the Circle Daybreak mansion. The colour scheme was caramel and beige, which sounded boring on paper, but was actually quite a good match. The kitchen countertops were marble, and cool to the touch. Thea _definitely_ did not mind having to live here.

"This place is beautiful," Maggie said, her gaze roaming over every surface. "I didn't expect it to look like this."

"Me neither," Mary-Lynnette agreed, tucking a bundle of curls behind her ear.

"I think that Lady Hannah should get her own room," Poppy piped up unexpectedly, setting her duffel bag onto the couch. Everyone turned to look at her, their eyebrows raised, waiting for her to explain where her sudden outburst had come from. "Well, we all know that we have to share, because the house doesn't have nine bedrooms. Me and Maggie are sharing, Thea and Gillian are sharing, I'm guessing that Rashel and Keller will share too, which only leaves Mare, Jez and Hannah. And since Hannah is, well…_Lady_ Hannah, I think that she should get her own room."

Hannah looked flustered, and Thea remembered that she wasn't really one for a huge amount of attention. She had put up with it at the mansion because she didn't want to be apart from Thierry (which was the reason _why_ she was a Lady in the first place), but now that they were starting their new lives in Tennessee, she wasn't too keen on it. "Oh, Poppy, I don't really need my own room. I can share with one of you guys, and if we have a really big room, then we can even triple up."

"Lady Hannah, me and Mare will share, it's no big deal," Jez said, dropping her bag onto the ground and slinging one arm over Mary-Lynnette's shoulders. The two had become close to best friends ever since Mary-Lynnette had moved into the mansion. Jez found it hilarious whenever Mary-Lynnette kicked Ash in the shins, and had taken an immediate liking to the girl. They had become fast friends after that, so sharing a room was perfect for them.

Hannah started to give a weak protest, but after she was overruled by her friends, she gave in, the rosy pink of her cheeks almost concealing her birthmark. "Only if you're sure," she said, smoothing one hand over her silky blonde hair. She twisted the bundle and rested it against her shoulder, not noticing when the strands separated and fell down her back once more.

"We're sure," Mary-Lynnette said firmly, crossing her arms over her chest. All of the girls had accepted that they had to leave their soulmates by now. They were by no means _ok_ with it, but they understood that it was for the best. And since they were all gathered in the living room of their new (insanely gorgeous) house, they were starting to focus on their new lives. It made no sense walking forward if all you're going to do is glance over your shoulder, did it?

The corners of Jez's mouth pulled up into a mischievous grin, and she withdrew her arm from Mare's shoulders, using her hand to pick her bag up off of the floor. She draped the strap over her body and started to inch towards the staircase, her steps lightening quick and silent. "Why don't we go and check out the bedrooms?" she asked, her tone light. Thea could tell that she was aiming for an air of innocence, but she had no idea why.

Gillian suddenly gasped beside her and darted up the stairs, hot on Jez's heels. Everyone who had been left downstairs regarded each other with raised eyebrows, the puzzlement on their faces conveying more than words ever could. A loud crash and a bang sounded from the upper level, shortly followed by Gillian's scream and Jez's grunt.

Thea was off like a shot, her hair flying wildly behind her. She was vaguely aware of all of her friends surrounding her as they pounded up the stairs, but the only coherent thought that was in her head was of concern for her distant cousin. Her cross cousin was powerful and headstrong and fierce, but Thea was _sure_ that Jez would never harm a fellow Daybreaker. So then what had all of the commotion been about?

Only one of the bedrooms was open, so all of the girls swarmed the doorway, trying to peer inside and see what was going on. Thea managed to get in the front, and stumbled into the bedroom itself, worriedly looking over every inch of space. When she saw Gillian lying spread-eagled on the bed, her light hair splayed out behind her, she breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever the noises had been, no one was hurt.

Jez stood up from her position on the floor and poked Gillian's leg, her eyes narrowed. "You've won this one, Jill. But next time, you won't be so lucky," she said, her tone menacing. The emotion was overdone, though, and Thea knew that Jez was just mocking all of the villains that were seen on TV. She wasn't worried in the least that the vampire-human hybrid would hurt Gillian – everyone knew that she wouldn't. As unlikely as it seemed, Morgead and Gillian had become good really friends, which extended into Jez and Gillian being really close. Not as close as Jez and Mare, or Thea and Gillian, but they got along pretty well nonetheless.

"Hey, Thea," Gillian said breathlessly, raising her head to level her cousin with an excited grin. Thea couldn't help but giggle at the unbridled enthusiasm that was almost radiating off of the lost witch. "I got us the room with the best view!"

.

"Come in!" Thea called, propping herself up on one elbow. She was lying on her bed and relaxing after the all of the hard work that she had just done. Gillian was on her own bed, posed on her stomach with her legs bent up in the air. Her feet were swinging in time to whatever song Gillian was listening to on her iPod and she was soundlessly mouthing along with the lyrics, her head bobbing to the side.

The door opened a crack and Maggie poked her head in, her nose wrinkling at the strong smell of paint. Her gaze roamed the walls and admiration shone brightly in her eyes as she took in the design. Two of the walls were such a pale pink that the colour boarded on lavender, and the other two were a darker lilac. The bedspreads were matched accordingly, as were the chest of drawers and the dresser. The bedroom door was a baby blue, with a black dahlia painted onto the exterior.

"Your room looks great!" she said, sliding the door open more so that she could lean against the doorframe. "Me and Poppy made ours a combination of electric blue and a bright red; hyper-inducing, but still sweet. I guess going to Home Depot was a good idea, huh? Anyways, they sent me up to tell you two that we're having a sort of meeting in the living room in two minutes. We kind of have a lot of stuff to talk about."

Gillian played with the dangling headphones between her fingers and smiled at their friend. "Thanks Maggie. We'll be down in two seconds, ok? I just want to put my iPod away."

Maggie nodded and quietly left, shutting the door with a faint _click_ behind her. Once she was gone, Thea and Gillian stood up and stretched, admiring their room from this different vantage point. There was no way to deny it; no matter what angle you saw it from, the room looked great. And, Thea noted with satisfaction as she hurried down the stairs, all it took was one quick trip to Home Depot, half a day for the two of us to paint the walls, and a long, well deserved break.

Maybe living out here wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey," she said aloud, bouncing off of the last step and collapsing onto the couch. She pulled her legs up and rested her fist on her knee, looking at all of her friends who were scattered around the room. "What's up?"

"School," Rashel said, holding a slip of paper between her fore and middle fingers. Even from across the room, Thea could see dark blue writing scribbled all over the paper, and her heart sank. Of course they couldn't just vegetate at home all day; they needed to go out and do things. Which meant, unfortunately, that they had to go and finish school. "We have to head over tomorrow and enroll in the school, but we should be able to start on arrival. It's already pretty late in the school year, so they should just usher us to class right away."

It was Hannah who voiced what everyone else had been thinking. "And our soulmates?"

"Well, hopefully they won't be able to find us," Keller piped up, scratching the hollow of her wrist. "And we can't contact them in any way – for their safety. We have to stay away from them, quit cold turkey, rip it off fast like a band-aid. It's your choice if you want to date here or not, but…well, I know that I won't." Her tone implied that she knew all of the others' views on that topic, so that thread of conversation died there.

"So…," Thea broke the awkward silence that had descended over the room. "School tomorrow?"

"School tomorrow," Rashel confirmed, nodding her head once to add emphasis. "So I suggest that you rest up, guys. It's going to be a long day."

XxXxX

"How many times to I have to say that I'm sorry?" Quinn asked again, his tone dangerously dark. From the dull intensity of his eyes, Galen could tell that the vampire was getting annoyed. The last thing that they needed right now was a fight between the best friends, so he intervened, taking a step closer to the pair.

"We get it, Quinn, it's no big deal," he said, rubbing the side of his neck. "You didn't know that it was in the road. And you didn't know that you would run over it."

"Exactly! And how was I supposed to know that there were no extra tires in the trunk of this thing? Besides, what kind of porcupine tries to cross a highway? It was like he was asking me to kill him!"

Ash rolled his eyes. "That's beside the point, Quinn. Now we've lost half a day on trailing the girls, which means that I'm farther away than I should be from Mary-Lynnette! That's a half a day further than I _should_ be from Mary-Lynnette!"

Quinn's eyes flashed. "And do you think that I _like_ being away from Rashel?"

Before Ash could retaliate, Galen positioned himself between the two, trying to stave off a fight. He knew that everyone's emotions were running high right now, but they had already been kept back because of an unfortunate road kill. The porcupine's spikes had punctured one of the back tires, and since there hadn't been a spare, they had had to call a pickup truck. As if that hadn't been bad enough, they then had to wait while a mechanic replaced the busted tire. They couldn't afford to waste any more time. "Guys! That's enough! It doesn't matter what happened with the porcupine, the important thing is that our tires are fixed. So now, we can continue…and hopefully reach the girls before nightfall."

"Galen's right," Thierry said, appearing from behind the limo. He rested one hand on the smooth surface of the vehicle and looked at Ash and Quinn with stern eyes. He couldn't uphold the façade, though, and the harsh glint fell away, revealing the immense sadness underneath. "At this point, we are already a full day behind the girls. They had a half day head start on us from the beginning, and now we've been set back again. The important thing is that we follow them until we reach Wildflower Meadows, and then find them." Once he was finished, Lord Thierry ducked out of sight and into the limo, leaving the three teenagers in silence.

Galen shrugged and gestured for the two vampires to get in the car before he walked around it and slid into the passenger seat. Sometime along the road, if Morgead got tired of driving, he would take over. Hopefully, they would be able to find the girls before that happened, but they all had to be prepared. If they came up short in their search, the driver cycle would restart, and James would take the wheel again. They would continue like this until they drove up to the house.

Except Quinn. After he had run over that innocent porcupine, it had been decided that he wouldn't go near the wheel again.

.

It was mid-morning the next day when Galen stomped on the brakes so hard that everyone lurched forward in their seats. He quickly put the car in reverse and backed into a gravel driveway, the unusual crunch of the tires not affecting him in the slightest.

"Galen, what are you doing?" David asked, sitting up and stretching his neck. The impact had thrown him headfirst into the back of the passenger seat, and his neck had been caught at an awkward angle. Luckily, no damage had been done, but David had been too sidetracked by the pain to realize what house they were currently parking in front of.

"This is it," Eric said, bolting up. He peered out the window and gazed up at the brass numbers, never seeing anything to beautiful in his entire life – with the exception of Thea. To him, she was the most beautiful thing in the universe, beyond even. "This is their house!"

He made a move to open the car door, but Thierry held up his hand, the simple action stopping Eric in his tracks. "We can't just barge in," he said calmly, although Galen could see his suppressed excitement. He couldn't blame him; the thought of being this close to Keller made him jumpy too. "Or else once they see us, they will just leave again, using the limo this time. We need to go in quietly, try to sneak up on them."

"Are you sure, Thierry?" Quinn asked. "Because last time I snuck up on Rashel, her instincts took over and she almost staked me."

The blonde vampire nodded, his expression solemn. "We don't want them to bolt at the sight of us, do we? Sneaking in is the only option that we have. And once we've got all of our soulmates again, then we need to ask them why they left."

Everyone agreed and got out of the limo. Quietly, they crept up the front porch and Morgead approached the door, a credit card at the ready. If the lock was flipped, then he would be able to pick it using the thin piece of plastic. On impulse, the dark haired vampire turned the knob and, to the surprise of the others, pushed open the door.

"They really shouldn't be leaving that open," Morgead said under his breath, handing the credit card back to Galen, who then slipped it into his pocket. "Although I'm sure that Jez can handle anyone who is stupid enough to break into her house."

"Kinda like us, you mean?" James said dryly, raising an eyebrow.

Morgead shut his mouth and impatiently flicked a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. After stepping inside, he cocked his head to the side and clenched his jaw, concentrating on something. His expression smoothed out as he seemed to come to a conclusion, and then his mouth dropped in the corners, making him appear sad.

"What's wrong?" Galen asked, joining Morgead in the middle of the foyer. He looked around the house and sniffed, the foul smell of the paint assaulting his nostrils for the first time. Not only had the girls recently moved in, he realized, his gold-green eyes widening slightly, but they've also redecorated. For them to go through all of the trouble of painting their rooms meant that they were serious about staying in this house. Convincing them to come back to Las Vegas would be easier said than done.

"Nobody's home," Morgead stated, waving all of the others inside. They crossed the threshold and gathered around, taking in the design of the house. Galen had to admit that they had picked a nice place, which only reinforced his previous realization. "Where did they all go?"

"To school," Galen replied, picking a scrap piece of paper up from the table in the foyer. It looked like it had been through hell and back; folds and creases and wrinkles covered the paper in abundance, and the words were slightly smudged. The note had been thoughtlessly tossed aside, as if someone had been halfway out the door when they decided that they didn't need the address anymore. "Look at this: Jack Mueller High School. They've gone to school…maybe to try and have a normal life?" He lifted his head and stared at the others, his brows forming a tent above his eyes. "But why would they want a normal life?"

"Only one way to find out," James said, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets.

They all gaped at him. Of course they knew what he was getting at, but with the exception of Eric and David, they were all treading in unknown waters. How were they going to do this? What would they even do if they went through with the plan?

Galen was the first to recover. "Go to school?"

James nodded. "Hey, it's horrible, full of noise, dirt and stupid teenage guys who will hit on everything in a skirt…but I'll do anything to get Poppy back."

They all nodded their agreement. Galen couldn't help but smile when he thought of someone hitting on Keller. He wasn't jealous, because he knew that it would never work. She wasn't the type of girl to blush and giggle uncontrollably when a guy flirted with her. She was the type who would ignore him or, if he wouldn't leave her alone, threaten him. She was Galen's own soulmate, and yet she had rejected him when they first met.

"So it's decided then," Thierry said, his face alight with a faint glimmer of hope. "Tomorrow we go to school."

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**So like I said before, this is pretty much the filler of all filler Chapters. And I know that it's full of breaks, but I didn't really want to drag out these unimportant events for any longer than I really had to.**

**But, I do have some good news! The Soulmate Reunionization Process (or the SRP) should be starting the the next 2 or so Chapters. Which means, of course, that they'll all be together again! I do have something to ask about this though. I was wondering, who do you guys want to be reunited first? Basically, anyone is fair game, EXCEPT for Hannah/Thierry and Rashel/Quinn. I have a specific order for those two pairs, because their reunions have to flow with other events that I have planned for the story.**

**Anyways, just drop a line in your reviews (please!) about who you want reunited first, and the couple with the most votes wins - for lack of a better word haha.**

**Also, a lot of people had been asking me to do POV's from certain characters, and I never did...sorry! I had a plan, you see. I wanted to finish the pre-SRP in 5 Chapters (and I did it, yay!) and I wanted one POV from each couple. That way, each pair will get a turn. So I couldn't do Ash, for example, because I had already done Mary-Lynnette. Get it?**

**Remember, the first reunion counts on your reviews!**

**That being said...please review lol :) I will love you forever and ever!**

**PS - Sorry about that suuuper long A/N**


	7. Trouble

**Hey everyone!**

**The SRP begins!  
**

**So, first up is Jez and Morgead! I'll explain some stuff at the end of the Chapter, ok?**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does [anything that you recognize, I do not own].**

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Chapter 6

_Trouble_

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"…which is why we're going to be dissecting fetal pigs next Thursday," Mrs. McAllistar said, clapping her hands together as she walked around her desk. Her white lab coat billowed open, giving her class a clear view of her mint green sundress underneath, the skirt a little short for the chilly weather outside.

Jez dropped her head onto her desk and sighed. Only a week into it, and she was already frustrated with school. Not only did she have to spend every day holed up in these stuffy classrooms, but her teachers gave her _piles_ of homework and expected them to be completed the next morning. In this class especially, which was why Biology was her least favourite subject.

Mrs. McAllistar might look like a little Southern princess, with golden ringlet curls and rosy cheeks, but she was a beast when it came to her class. If you were ever caught passing notes, texting under your desk or talking while she was giving a lesson, then you might as well consider yourself kicked out of the room. She had no patience at all for people who talked back either, and Jez had to bite her tongue every time the teacher said something stupid. Rashel had made one thing perfectly clear to all of the girls on their first day of school: do _not_ draw too much attention to yourselves. There were bound to be Night people in the student population, and the last thing that they needed right now was for anyone to recognize them.

The only good thing about Biology was that Gillian was in her class. Unfortunately, Mrs. McAllistar had set up a seating plan based on the attendance list, which meant that Gillian Lennox was seated a good distance away from Jez Redfern. There was an uncanny amount of students in this class whose last names started with the letter N.

"But before we get into that, you're going to do a presentation for me." Mrs. McAllistar continued, swinging one foot against the desk she was perched on. "The project is going to be done in pairs, and we'll start presentations next Monday. Each presentation is only going to be about twenty minutes in length, so we should be able to finish them all before the fetal pgs are delivered Thursday morning."

"Mrs. McAllistar?"

The voice came from behind Jez and she had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. She recognized that voice; its owner had asked her out on a date every day since she had enrolled in the school. Landon Minsky just couldn't take no for an answer, and insisted on asking her out to dinner every single solitary day at the end of biology class. Nothing was wrong with him really, but…he wasn't Morgead. In fact, he was the complete opposite of Morgead. Blonde, blue-eyed and a nice guy, always striving to get on the teacher's good side.

"Yes Landon?"

"Do we get to pick our own partners?"

The teacher nodded her head, causing a bundle of ringlets to pop out of her hair clip and nestle into the hollow of her neck. She barely acknowledged this change, bringing one hand up to delicately scratch her cheek. "Yes, you all get to pick your groups. But choose wisely, because this project is worth half of your unit grade – and there will be no extensions. The time you get is the time you have. Got it?"

Mrs. McAllistar had barely finished speaking when Landon leaned forward on his desk and poked Jez's shoulder, causing the redhead to grind her teeth together. When was this guy going to take a hint? She slowly turned around to face him, trying to mould her features into a kind expression. Judging from the look on his face she seemed to have done it right, because he beamed at her as soon as they made eye contact.

"Hey, Jez, do you want to be my partner?" Landon asked, his blue eyes twinkling. The vibrant colour reminded Jez of the pool in Thierry's backyard, which made her think of Morgead. She knew that she was supposed to quit her soulmate cold turkey (as Keller had put it) but sometimes she found it difficult. Especially whenever Landon spoke to her; she just couldn't help mentally comparing them.

"Actually, I already have a partner," Jez said. She nodded to her left where Gillian was standing, hugging her notebook to her chest. They had known that they were going to be partners the minute that McAllistar had given the project. The truth was that they didn't have many friends in the school – all of the Daybreaker girls, for that matter. The teenage boys hit on them and wanted to take them out on dates, which meant that the girls were jealous of them. Apparently, being a jealous teenage girl meant being petty, so they all snubbed them, ignoring them in class and turning away from them in the halls. This behaviour didn't bother Jez in the least; she had the Daybreakers, and that was all that really counted.

Landon's face fell as he settled back into his seat, leaning away from the desktop. He folded his arms across his chest as he regarded Gillian, although he showed no signs of hostility. Jez wasn't sure why he was acting so surprised. Gillian and she had been clear friends from the start, always walking to class together and leaving class together. Everyone else knew that they were friends, so why should he be any different? "Oh…ok."

Gillian slid into the chair across from Jez's desk and plopped her notebook on the table, lacing her fingers together and placing her hands on the cover. She flicked some of her blonde hair out of her eyes and grinned mischievously at Jez, her eyes twinkling. "He seems to like you a lot, huh?" she asked, inclining her head to the side. A shock of hair fell into her violet eyes but did nothing to hide the shine in them.

Jez rolled her eyes. "He won't leave me _alone_!"

Gillian giggled at the tortured look Jez shot her, one hand cupping her mouth. "It's no big deal anyways, Jez. So, what do you want to do our project on?" She gestured towards the white board, where a list of topics was written in colourful markers. "Asthma, cancer, diabetes?"

Jez dropped her head onto her desk again, cushioning the impact with her folded arms. Her red hair circled her face, muffling her answer. "Cancer? Seems pretty easy, and maybe we can ask Poppy if she wouldn't mind helping us. She must have learnt a thing or two when she was diagnosed. Besides, the less work that I have to do, the better."

She had just finished her little spiel when she noticed that the room had gone eerily silent. This sparked her interest (what's going on?) and she raised her head a fraction, the ends of her hair pooling on the desk. All Jez could hear was Gillian's sharp intake of breath, murmuring and low giggles. Mrs. McAllistar was saying something in her light Southern accent, her words punctuated by flirty laughs – too flirty for any married woman to be using, especially when her husband was out of town on work.

Jez's heart stopped when she heard a familiar voice answer the teacher, and warmth gathered in her eyes, much to her dismay. Her momentary elation was brought to a sudden halt when she remembered the situation. How did he find her here? Didn't he realize that she had left him for a reason? By showing his face, his presence in her new life…well, he was just causing her problems.

She raised her head fully and was met with Gillian's worried gaze. Jez knew that her previous thoughts were now running through the witch's mind, but she could also see a definite difference in Gillian's expression. There was a spark in her eyes now, a sort of bright light shining through the violet depths. Jez knew that she was feeling hopeful. After all, if _he_ was here, then chances were that all of the others would be too.

"Class, this is Morgead," McAllistar announced, her clasped hands raised at chest level. Her diamond wedding ring caught in the fluorescent lights overhead, sparkling violently and giving Jez an immediate headache. She brought one hand up and shook her head slightly; why not everything go wrong at once? Mrs. McAllistar continued, her perky voice breaking through Jez's thoughts. "He's new, so please show him some hospitality, ok?"

A chorus of _yes_es rose throughout the room, the loudest voices belonging to all of the girls. Jez couldn't deny that the mere sight of him after a week and a half warmed her heart, but she didn't want him to get hurt. And to avoid that future pain, she would have to inflict some upon herself right now. As much as she longed to speak to him, to kiss him, to have him hold her…the most important thing was that she protect him. Which meant no contact – not of any kind.

She gritted her teeth together and stared at him, her silvery-blue eyes the colour of steel. She ignored Gillian's strange look and kept her face devoid of emotion. It hurt, but it had to be done. Just when Jez thought that she might be able to pull this off, McAllistar opened her mouth and singlehandedly thwarted the plan without even knowing what she was doing.

"So, the only empty seat is next to Jez over there – the girl with the red hair? They've just started working on their projects, which are to be twenty minute presentations done in pairs, but since you're new and our class now has an uneven number of students, I'll just let you work with Jez and Gillian."

Morgead grinned at this, and Jez could have sworn that she heard all of the girls in the class sigh. She ignored the jealousy eating away at her stomach and fought to keep her composure. This was just a minor setback, but she'd be able to get through it. She was Jez Redfern; she could do anything. Incidentally, this included staring at the granite desktop as her soulmate came closer. Who knew that they started making school desks so fancy?

Morgead ruffled Gillian's hair affectionately as he passed her and settled into the chair next to Jez, his green eyes sparkling. She had forgotten what a vivid colour they were – the brightest green that she could ever imagine. They stood out so vibrantly from his dark hair and pale skin and….Goddess, he looked good. She turned her face away and instead chose to stare out the window. She hated that Morgead had this affect on her. Loathed it, despised it, hated it hated it hated it.

"So, we meet again, Jezebel." Jez could almost _hear_ the damned smirk in his voice, and for some reason, it made her blood boil.

"I told you never to call me that!" she snapped, whipping around to face him. She took in his expression: the way his lips were twisted into a smirk, the twinkle in his emerald eyes, the shock of dark hair falling onto his forehead and felt the silver cord thrum happily between them. She herself couldn't deny that she simply felt happier in his presence. It was the magic of the soulmate principle.

Right before her eyes, Morgead's expression deflated. The corners of his mouth fell into a small frown, his eyes dimmed – he looked miserable. Jez felt her own mood droop at the sight of his distress and looked out the window. A squirrel was running up the bare branches of a nearby tree, its fluffy tail swaying in the breeze. She kept her attention on the squirrel rather than the boy next to her; it was less painful.

"Why did you leave me, Jez?"

She turned to face him in shock. How could he want to discuss this here, in school? She could already feel Landon's gaze on her back, and she knew that he was going to question her later. She was also fairly certain that all of the girls in the class were looking at them with unmasked hatred. It was bad enough that the other guys all liked Jez and Gillian, but now they were being chummy with the hot new kid? They were not pleased at all.

Gillian cleared her throat uncomfortably and got to her feet, leaving her stationary on the desk. "I'm just going to head to the bathroom, alright Jez?" She started to leave without even waiting for an answer, but then doubled back and looked at Morgead curiously. "Hey, Morgead? Are you…well, did the others…is David here too?"

He took his gaze away from Jez for a second, nodding once at his friend. As much as he loved Gillian, Jez was his first priority, and he had to find out why she had left. If there was even a chance that she didn't love him anymore…well, he had to know now.

Gillian smiled to herself and left, making her way to the teacher's desk. Jez suddenly felt uncomfortable being alone with Morgead, knowing that she should tell him the reason why all of the girls had left. As much as she didn't want to, she owed Morgead an explanation, and she hated seeing the pain in his eyes. It reminded her of herself, back when she had been living with her aunt and uncle.

_Jez…why did you leave me?_ He used the soulmate link this time, so that nobody around them could hear what they were saying. Jez could feel the sadness and desperation behind his words, and it made her heart clench. _Why did all of you leave us?_

_I….we had to. Can't you understand that? We had to! _

Morgead shook his head and gathered Jez in his arms. She fought at first, but gave in, resting her head against his shoulder. It was amazing how simple it was just to fit back into place, just like she had never left in the first place. How right she felt in his arms. She was appalled at how sappy she was being, but didn't think much of it. All she wanted to do was enjoy this moment with her soulmate.

_Jez…why would you have to? What happened? You have to tell me…please._ His words were gentle, but Jez could feel his frustration. Whatever had made her run, whatever had scared her away, he wanted to know what it was. He wanted to protect her from it. To save her – he wanted to save her.

_Morgead, don't you understand? You _can't_ save me!_ _I have to save you! Leaving you was the only way….all of us leaving you guys was the only way. We can't let anything happen to you! I can't lose you, Morgead. _Jez was fighting back tears, and she buried her face into his chest, both upset and angry with herself. How could she show so much weakness in such a small space of time? How could she cry in public? And how had he gotten the answer so easily out of her? Being away from your soulmate made you do crazy things when you were reunited, she reasoned, brushing a tear off of her cheek. And I don't really like it one bit.

"What are you talking about?" he said softly, running his hands gently through her red mane. He pressed a soft kiss against her temple and held her at an arm's length to get a better look. "Why would you lose me?"

"Lily Redfern…she appeared to me one night. And she told me that she would kill you…and it would all be my fault. It wasn't only me, it happened to all of the girls, but it was a different person each time – except Hunter, he appeared to both Maggie and Rashel. We all left, we couldn't handle it if anything bad happened to you guys."

"We thought that if we left, then you would be safe," Gillian broke in, reappearing. She sat back down and rested her chin in her hands, her expression dreamy. "So you guys made up, huh? I wonder if I'll find David?"

"You should," Morgead said. "We all enrolled in this school with the intention of finding our soulmates. You and David should be reunited pretty soon."

Before Gillian could react, Jez felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around to face Landon Minsky. He looked pointedly at Morgead and then turned his attention back to Jez. "So…you guys are pretty chummy for only meeting."

There was a possessive tone to Landon's voice that made Jez bristle. She didn't belong to _anybody_ except herself, and Morgead was the second closest thing. She turned around she was could face him full on and smiled one of her dangerous, wild smiles. The kind that she had tossed around back in the days when she had hunted other gangs for the sole purpose of taking them down. Landon recoiled, and she intensified her expression.

"Actually, Morgead is my boyfriend," she said, putting one hand on his shoulder. Landon looked the vampire over, realizing what Jez already knew – Morgead was stronger. He could snap Landon like a twig if he wanted, and the poor boy would never have even seen it coming. "We were going through a rough patch when he first walked in, but we're better now. So _please _stop asking me out now, ok?" She looked at Morgead out of the corner of her eye as she said this last line, curious as to how her soulmate would react.

He didn't disappoint. His whole body stiffened, and he looked coolly at Landon, his eyes narrowed. Jez laughed quietly to herself. The look on Landon's face was priceless, as was his hasty crab walk away from the table. She had a feeling that he wouldn't be bothering her again anytime soon.

"Oh, don't worry, Morgy, I never liked him anyways."

"Don't call me Morgy, Jezebel," he growled.

"Well don't call me Jezebel, idiot."

"You're the idiot, idiot."

Jez laughed and kissed Morgead's cheek, earning another round of glares from her classmates. The girls were all upset that she had stolen Morgead from them, and the boys were heartbroken that she was off the market. None of their little fantasies would have ever come to pass anyways, but they didn't know that. All that they could see was a hot girl hanging around with a hot guy, and it made them upset. Even if Jez was half human, she would never be able to completely understand teenage girls; they were just so stupid.

The bell rang just then, prompting Jez to gather her stuff and get to her feet. Morgead stood up in one fluid motion and grabbed her hand. He had been without her for so long that he couldn't stand the thought of not touching her; holding hands, a quick kiss, a casual arm slung over her shoulder – anything will do. He just needed to _be_ with her.

"So, what class do you have now?" she asked as they waited for Gillian to get her stuff together. They were standing next to the doorway, leaving just enough room for the students to file in and out of the room, but not yet leaving the confines of the biology lab.

Morgead fished his class schedule out of his pocket and checked the square boxes. His next class was art with Mr. Henstern, a fact which he relayed to his soulmate. They would also have that class together; he knew before she told him. The truth was that all of the guys had specially designed their timetables so that they would spend the whole day with their soulmates. James had hypnotized the receptionist, who then let them look up the records of the girls. Not that he would ever tell Jez this.

Jez smiled to herself as the three Daybreakers left the room and walked towards the art hallway. She just knew that school was going to get a _whole_ lot better.

XxXxX

Blaise was livid.

She had understood that getting wrenched away from your soulmates so suddenly was a difficult situation, so she had given the boys some time to come to terms with it. She's left them alone and gone outside to tan, her spirits uplifted. And she had honestly believed that they would accept it and move on, start enjoying living with her. She was Blaise Harman after all, and she could get _any_ guy that she wanted.

The minute that she stepped back into the house, her towel draped over one arm, she knew that something was wrong. Something was off. Although the mansion was huge, if it was being inhabited by a group of teenage guys, there should be noise. Shouting, laughing, crashing, punches…anything except for this never-ending silence.

"Hello?" she called out, whipping the towel so that it hung over one shoulder, leaving her arms free. She shook out her dark hair and glanced around each room and she strutted around the house, looking for any signs of life. There were none, and by this time, Blaise was starting to get angry. Where were they?

An idea popped into her head, and her fists clenched as she realized that this was _precisely_ what they had done. They had left. All nine of the guys had up and left her without any notice. How could they do that? How could they leave _her _and go after the other girls like that? Wasn't she good enough for them? Wasn't she _pretty_ enough?

A thought suddenly occurred to her, and her heart ached like it did every other time that she thought of Thea. Her cousin had said to her once that the soulmate principle was more powerful than any other witch spell. No matter what Blaise did now, it just didn't matter. The soulmate principle would prevail, just like it always did.

Goddess, she hated not having a soulmate.

She pulled a dress on over her bathing suit and tied her hair back into a high ponytail, securing a headband around the crown of her head to fend off any stragglers. She wouldn't be able to handle having her hair block her eyes for this one; nope, it was much too big. She needed to be able to see exactly what she was doing.

This was going to be the spell of all spells. The Maiden, the Mother and the Crone of spells _combined_.

All she had to do was take the spell that she had originally used and intensify it tenfold. Once she did that, she would let it settle, and then intensify it once more. Only _then_ would it be powerful enough to do what she wanted.

And what she wanted was to separate the soulmates forever, have the boys forget about the girls, and make them all fall in love with her. She was tired of being so lonely all of the time. How was it fair that her friends, her family all find their soulmates and she didn't? How was it fair that she didn't have someone to love her unconditionally? And how was is fair that once she managed to split the soulmates couples apart, they just jumped right back up and tried to seek each other out again?

She set up in the room where Thea used to practice her spells (now called the Witchy room, courtesy of Blaise) and raided the cabinet, grabbing all of the ingredients that she needed to make her plan follow through. One by one, she dropped each ingredient into the bowl, pausing every so often to mix the whole concoction together.

Did the guys think that they could just ditch her without so much as a goodbye and she wouldn't find out? Did they think that it was acceptable to leave her hanging like that? She tried to show them kindness, tried to be generous, and this is what they do?

Well, they were in trouble now. Blaise laughed as the concoction bubbled and spit out a steady stream of smoke.

A lot of trouble.

* * *

**Alright, so I have some things that I just want to clarify here.**

**First off, I know that Jez and Morgead were a little more mushy than they are in the books. I tried to be true to their characters, but I also wanted to show what I interpret as a softer side to them both. I mean, they've been away from each other for a whole week, and they missed each other. At this point, basically, their emotions overrode everything else, which was why they were acting this way.**

**Another thing is that I know that everything about the boys' and girls' explanations are not stated here. The reason for that is because I want to be able to kind of spread it out in the upcoming Chapters. I think that it would be way too redundant and boring if the story is complete in every reunion, so I'm spreading it out and distributing in the other Chapters too.**

**Speaking of, there will be 4 more SRP Chapters coming up, and then the actual storyline will continue, alright?**

**Lastly, I just wanted to thank everyone for all of their reviews! They really mean a lot to me. That being said, I think it would be amazing to get up to 70 reviews with this Chapter. I will by no means hold Chapters hostage, but I've always had the dream of 10 reviews for each Chapter, so if you guys can get me to 70 for this 7th Chapter posted...well, I'll be eternally grateful.**

**So pleasepleaseplease...review! Make my dreams come true [I know, it's a weird dream lol]**


	8. Better Than Romeo and Juliet

**Hey everyone!**

**I am pleased to present Chapter 7! It's my longest Chapter so far in the whole story, and it's definitely longer than I had anticipated while I was planning it out. But oh well...I hope that you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does**

* * *

Chapter 7

_Better Than Romeo&Juliet_

* * *

There were three main reasons as to why Keller hated her English class.

The first was her teacher. Ms. Sanders was just the type of fluffy bunny that got under her skin. There were very few sentences that the woman could say that were not interspersed with words that made her sound like a ditzy teenage girl. She always wore her silky black hair loose around her shoulders, but she had a bad habit of whipping her head almost all the way around just to get her fringe out of her eyes. She spoke with a light, musical voice, and seemed far too gentle for her own good; a little like Iliana, but without the Wild Power's fierce inner strength. Keller had only been at the school for one week, and she had already seen the teacher's transformation from hyper rabbit to hyper, _super-perky_ rabbit. The catalyst came in the form of a fourteen carat diamond engagement ring.

To put it frankly, Keller was fed up with the wedding talk that Ms. Sanders (soon to be Mrs. Solomon) kept blathering about. If she was being forced to go to school, shouldn't she at least be able to live through a day without hearing about wedding cakes, balloons, ribbons and the never-ending hunt for the perfect wedding dress?

The second thing was her class itself. For some reason, fate thought that it would be humorous to stick her in the class full of airheaded cheerleaders and brainless football players. Not only did she have to sit through colour scheme discussions on a daily basis, but just yesterday the school's best flier had actually raised her hand and asked the teacher what Hitler's last name was. Not only was the answer in the question itself, but the girl asked this in English class – _English_ _class_. Keller was lucky if she could get through the whole period without a headache.

The final reason was the course content. Apparently, even though Ms. Sanders looked like she couldn't tell right from left, she was a _huge_ fan of Shakespeare. And by huge, Keller meant borderline creepy. There was an actual Shakespeare bulletin board at the back of the classroom, complete with pictures, quotations, posters and her own personal thoughts on passages of his work, alphabetized by the titles of the plays. This meant that when she had to teach _Romeo and Juliet_(which they were currently in the middle of reading) she went all out.

She voluntold everyone in the class to act out the scenes, and actually graded the performances. She gave long lectures on each act, her light voice filling the classroom so much that Keller had to suppress the urge to sink her claws into the wooden desk. Not only did she not have the patience for this, but she was also plagued by her permanent feeling of heartbreak. Reading about a couple that was insanely in love did nothing to soothe the mood of a girl who had just left her soulmate behind. And try as she might, Keller just couldn't take her own advice; she couldn't quit Galen cold turkey.

There was a prince in the play. How could that _not_ conjure up images of her own soulmate?

The only saving grace was that Rashel was also in this class. She was actually seated right next to Keller, because Ms. Sanders did not believe in seating arrangements. This meant that the classroom layout changed daily, but the teacher didn't seem to care too much. She just positioned herself in the middle of any dead space and started talking, usually not stopping until the lunch bell rang.

Keller had just settled into her seat when her cell phone went off, the jingle signifying that she had received a text message. Ms. Sanders was too busy straightening her newest Shakespeare poster to notice, so Keller quickly extracted the phone from her pocket and clicked open her message. Her eyes widened as she read what Jez had sent her, her mouth falling open at the same time.

"Rashel, read this," she said, giving the phone to the vampire hunter. "Jez just sent it to me."

Rashel shot a quick look over her shoulder before cupping the cell phone in her hand and scanning the screen. Her expression quickly mirrored Keller's, and there was an odd sparkle in her green eyes as she handed the phone back to her sister. "The guys are here? How did they find us?"

Keller shrugged. "But Jez said that she and Morgead made up; that she doesn't think that we have anything to worry about anymore. What do you think?"

"Honestly…I really want to believe her. But I just can't take that chance, not with Quinn. If anything happened to him and it was my fault…I'd want to die."

Keller nodded in understanding. She could see where Rashel was coming from. No matter what Jez said, she couldn't shake the image of Azhdeha standing in her bedroom, his coal black eyes darkening even further as he told her that she would be the cause of Galen's death. No matter what Jez said, she would always have that fear in the back of her mind, nagging at her until she chose to fully acknowledge it. There would always be the chance that something awful would happen to Galen and it would be her fault.

Rashel checked her watch and got up, slinging her bag over her shoulder. Seeing the questioning look on Keller's face, she answered, "I have to go and help set up the Homecoming Dance in Gym C. You know how Maggie decided to be more involved in this school and joined the Homecoming Committee? Well, I offered to help her set up; anything to avoid class." She chuckled a little and then ran a hand over the ends of her dark hair. "So I'll see you at lunch, ok?"

Keller nodded again. She was about to say something in return when the two cheerleaders who sat in front of her, Britnee Erikson and Laura Patel, let out a loud peal of laughter, clapping their hands excitedly. They bounced as they laughed, and the movement caused their luscious curls to bob up and down. Britnee whispered something to Laura again, and they dissolved into giggles once more. Keller strained to hear their conversation, the old saying _curiosity killed the cat_ scrolling through her mind once before she finally understood the true meaning of it.

"And he totally looked like a prince," Britnee said, chomping on her piece of bubble gum loudly. Even a few feet back, Keller could smell the pungent, sickly sweet odour. "I mean, blonde hair, hot face, greeny-goldy eyes? I know it sounds, like, totally stupid, but it's the only thing that I can like, come up with."

"He sounds totally dreamy," Laura responded, resting her chin in her palm and staring dazedly into the distance. "Maybe I should ask him to Homecoming. Do you think he'll go with me?"

"No way! I'm totally asking him! I fully saw him first, remember?"

Keller checked to see if Rashel had heard this conversation, but she was already halfway out the door, her neon pink class excusion slip sticking out of her back pocket. There was an iron grip crushing her heart, and Keller involuntarily brought her hand up to her chest. Obviously, she knew who these girls were talking about. Who else in the whole world would have fit that description perfectly except for Galen? There was no doubt in Keller's mind; Britnee had seen Galen somewhere in the school.

Ms. Sanders walked up to the front of the room and pulled open her desk drawer, cradling one hand up against her chest. She rummaged around for a minute, her brow furrowed, until she triumphantly pulled out a bandage, a small smile gracing her face. With a flip of her hair, she ripped open the package and carefully stuck the band-aid to her thumb, grimacing as she did so. She gave her newly wrapped thumb a quick pat and then threw the crumpled package into the garbage can behind her. "Sorry about that. I got a little paper cut while I was straightening Billy back there." Her tinkly laugh filled around the room and had to Keller grit her teeth together. Paper cut? She had gone without a bandage for much worse than a paper cut. She didn't understand this woman.

The teacher picked up a piece of paper from the disarray on her desk and read it over quickly, her lips puckering in thought. When she had finished the message, she looked up and smiled at the class, excitement radiating off of her in waves. "So class, it seems that we're getting two new students."

Keller's heart skipped a beat at these words, and she mentally scolded herself. Although there was a chance that Galen would be one of the new students (how many new students a day does a school get anyways? She was almost _positive_ that Galen was one of the new students), she couldn't let herself get too close to him. In the text message, Jez had said that all Morgead had to do was simply show up, and she spilled everything to him. Keller couldn't let that happen. She had to avoid avoid avoid; it was the only way.

As if on cue, two teenage boys strolled into the classroom, and Britnee let out a loud gasp. She slapped Laura repeatedly on her shoulder, her enthusiasm making her dark curls quiver. Her best friend was too busy gawking at the new students to notice, her eyes bugging out of her head as she blatantly checked them out.

The two boys honestly looked like complete opposites; the only thing that they had in common was that they were both extremely handsome. The one standing on the left was a little taller. He had golden blonde hair and eyes that were neither green nor gold, but something in between. The other was shorter, his black hair and eyes setting a stark contrast against his pale skin.

Galen and Quinn.

Was it possible for a person's heart to sink and swell at the same time? Keller was pretty sure that that was what happened when she saw Galen. The light was hitting his hair, making it shine brilliantly, and his eyes had brightened as soon as he saw her sitting down. He had never looked better to her, and she ducked her head quickly, trying to conceal her flushing cheeks.

This was bad.

"Why don't you grab those seats at the back?" Ms. Sanders was saying, pointing to the desks on either side of Keller. "One of the girls is away right now, setting up for Homecoming tomorrow night. One of you can take her seat for now, and I'll have to find an extra desk somewhere before our next class."

Galen nodded and started towards the back, making a beeline for Keller's desk. All of the other girls in the class were glaring at her enviously right now, seeing as she was soon to be sandwiched between the two hottest guys in the whole school. If she was given the choice though, she would gladly trade places with any one of them. As much as it hurt her heart, the further away from Galen she was the better.

Just as she was thinking this, Britnee smiled flirtatiously at Galen, wiggling her fingers in a wave. He smiled politely at her but tried to continue on his way to Keller. Britnee wouldn't let him, swivelling in her chair so that they were face to face. "Hey. How come you didn't introduce yourself to the class? I never got to hear your name." She gave tiny pout and batted her eyelashes, laying the whole charade on sickeningly thick.

Keller hadn't realized that she was clenching her fists until a cool hand wrapped around her wrist. She turned to her left to find Quinn perched on the edge of the chair, his eyes darker than ever. It took her a while to figure out that it was not anger but sadness that were making them this way. "Is Rashel in this class?"

That was just like Quinn. He was so focused on finding his soulmate that he didn't have any time for pleasantries. Keller rolled her eyes, glad to divert her attention away from Galen. At least talking to Quinn gave her something to do; she didn't think that she could stand seeing that space cadet flirting with her soulmate. It was the worst form of torture that she could imagine.

"Remember the girl Ms. Sanders was talking about? The one that left class to work on the decorations for Homecoming? Well, that was Rashel," Keller informed him, being careful not to so much as glance in Galen's direction. "She is in this class, but you chose the wrong day to transfer in. You must have missed her by about ten minutes."

Quinn cursed under his breath and the silence left Keller open to what was going on around her. She tuned in just in time to hear Britnee's chirpy voice say, "So Galen, do you want to go to the Homecoming Dance with me? I could totally introduce you to all of my friends and like, we would have such an awesome time."

_You should say yes_, Keller thought. She tried to sound nonchalant and calm but she knew that her pounding heart was betraying her. She couldn't pretend that she wasn't jealous anyways, not with the soulmate link whirring between them. No matter how she tried to hide her feelings, Galen would know. He would feel her emotions as if he were experiencing them himself. _Or else how will you get to go to the dance?_

_Keller…I don't _want_ to go to the dance. I do want to know…why did you leave?_

He was looking at her now and she saw so much love and warmth in his eyes that it made her throat close up. She wasn't supposed to be talking to him though. What had ever happened to her avoid avoid avoid plan? Obviously she couldn't pull through, because she found herself having the strongest urge to hold him tightly. To tell him everything that had happened and then go back to Vegas with him.

A light bulb went off in her head. So this was what Jez meant when she had said that it had taken almost no weeding on Morgead's part for her to explain everything. The soulmate principle really was the strongest magic that Keller had ever encountered.

They silently stared at each other as Galen came closer. Keller could feel everyone's eyes on them as he got to his knees in front of her, but they felt too far away. All that she could see right now, all that she could hear, touch, smell, was Galen. It was like being in their own private cocoon, the outside world just an unidentifiable blur. And she found herself enjoying it. All previous thoughts about avoiding and pain had flown from her mind. The only thing that she could think of was Galen.

_Why did you leave?_

_ You guys were in trouble. We had to leave you to protect you. _Her words were blunt, straight to the point. She didn't want to have to think about that now. All she wanted to do was be with Galen and be happy. She didn't want to relive the awful hallucinations, the terrible threats. She couldn't do it.

His eyes had widened at her last statement, but he managed to pull himself together. He grabbed her hand with his and frowned as a new thought occurred to him. _Did you girls think that if you left to protect us, the trouble would have come after you? You could have gotten hurt too._

This shocked Keller; he had a point. They had all been in such a haste to protect their soulmates that the thought hadn't even crossed their minds. They had all assumed that the only ones in danger were the guys. As quickly as she realized this, she had her answer. It seemed like the obvious choice. _Whatever happens to me doesn't matter as long as you're safe. I'm expendable._

_ You're _NOT_!_ The thought was filled with such emotion that Keller blinked. His voice was louder than ever, bouncing off of the walls in her head. She could feel his desperation so strongly that she froze, her gray eyes wide as she took in his anxious expression. _Keller, don't you see? You are everything. I love you…I wouldn't be able to live without you. You're not expendable. And whatever trouble we're in, whatever happens, we have to face it together. I won't let you go again._

There were no words that she could use to answer him. Instead, she pulled him closer and hugged him fiercely, her tears soaking into his sweater. She had been right, Jez had been right. It was ok to tell their soulmates what was going on. It had been stupid to run in the first place. She should have known that Galen would have come looking for her. And he was right too. Whatever danger they were faced with, they would get through it together.

"I love you," she whispered, holding him tighter. It was completely out of her character, and she knew that her classmates were staring at her in disbelief. She had earned the reputation of being the blunt, scary girl at the back of the room and she knew that this was shocking them all to their cores. She had even heard someone compare her to a cat that always had its hackles up. Well, cats have soft sides too, she thought vaguely, and the sound of Galen's laughter warmed her heart.

They were broken out of their bubble by the sound of loud sniffles. Keller lifted her head from Galen's shoulder and looked at Ms. Sanders, who was balanced on the corner of her desk. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was holding a Kleenex up to her nose. She gave a loud blow and then dabbed at her eyes with her fingertips.

"So much better than _Romeo and Juliet_," she said softly, blubbering into her tissue. "That was just _so _much better."

XxXxX

The cafeteria was crowded. On other days, much of the student body went to the mall for lunch, or sat outside and ate on the lawn. Today, however, everyone had decided to cram into the cafeteria.

"I wonder what's going on," Thea said lightly, taking a bite out of her Granny Smith apple. Her face puckered at the initial sourness that exploded in her mouth, but quickly smoothed out as she swallowed.

Gillian shrugged. She and Thea were alone at the lunch table; they had brown bagged their food today. All of the other Daybreaker girls were standing in the long lunch line, waiting to buy their meals. Except Jez, she reminded herself, breaking off a piece of her sandwich and popping it into her mouth. Jez and Morgead had left her after art class, going in the opposite direction from the cafeteria. Apparently, they were going to go and catch up somewhere. Gillian didn't even want to _think_ about what that meant.

There was a growing gaggle of teenage girls in the far corner of the room, but Gillian couldn't see past all of the bodies to find out what was inside. From the high pitched giggling that was floating all around the room, she guessed that it was one of their soulmates. It only made sense: they were new students, and they were all extremely good-looking. She would have considered it strange if all of the girls in school _didn't_ find that they were attractive.

Thea seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she took another bite of her apple and raised her eyebrows. "I wonder which one it is," she said, putting her snack down and wiping the sticky apple juice off of her fingers. She gathered her hair up into a ponytail and tied it, trying to see past the crowd while she did so. "Hopefully it's not Galen, Quinn or Morgead, or else someone's going to be in trouble."

Gillian laughed along with her cousin as she thought this over. Thea had a point, although Gillian was sure that the schoolgirls would be the ones in trouble, not the guys. It wasn't their fault that they were so attractive; girls couldn't help being drawn to them. Still, a tiny part of her hoped that it wasn't David in the middle. He wasn't supernaturally beautiful like the others (because he was a human), but he was still hot as far as features went. She didn't want to have to drag him out of that crowd.

"Oh, but I don't think that it's Morgead," Gillian said, clapping her hands together to get rid of the crumbs. She crumpled up her brown bag into a ball and set it aside, focusing her attention on her water bottle in front of her. She took a swig and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her fingers brushing her lips. "He and Jez were made up, so I don't think that they'll be apart anytime soon."

Thea's eyes lit up and she dropped her apple core into her own brown bag. "Oh! I got the text message from Jez, and I was meaning to ask you about that. What really happened in Biology class this morning?" Her face took on a dreamy look as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "And I wonder if I'll find Eric. Is it bad for me to want to see him, even though I know that his life is at stake?"

"That's the thing; I don't think that it is. I know that it seemed that way when we had those nightmares and hallucinations, but I think that our panic took over. Besides, we should have known that they would have come looking for us. We wouldn't give them up without a fight, so why should they? This whole situation is a little bit fishy."

The lost witch knew that she had turned a complete 180 from the very beginning of their little trip, but she couldn't help it. Her mind was clearer now than it had been in a long time, especially after seeing Jez and Morgead reunite. She knew that the soulmates should stand together and fight back against the hallucinations, not split up. They had been practically handing over their soulmates, playing divide and conquer in favour of the evil.

Just then, a pretty girl with raven curls walked by their table, holding her lunch tray in her hands. Gillian recognized her as Britnee Erikson, the head cheerleader who was in her third period Advanced Functions class. She was talking animatedly to another girl who looked like she could be her twin, save for the fact that her hair was as white as Britnee's was black. Instead of a lunch tray, she held a bottle of VitaminWater in her hands, tossing the canister back and forth as she listened to her friend's tale.

"And he was like, totally hot, Debbie, I swear. I asked him to Homecoming, but it was like he didn't even hear me. He just walked past me to that girl in the back, you know, with the long dark hair and gray eyes? I swear they didn't even talk to each other! They just totally stared into each other's eyes for like, ten minutes, and then hugged and kissed. Ms. Sanders was totally having a field day, crying and stuff. But arrgh, he was so hot! His hair was like, totally golden."

A small smile curved Thea's lips upwards as the girls disappeared from view. "So, I guess that Keller and Galen made up too, huh?"

"Seems like," Gillian said, recapping her water bottle and pushing it away. The lunch line must have been really long, because she and Thea had already finished their food, and the others were nowhere to be found. She rose a little in her seat and craned her neck, checking the whole room for her friends. She caught a glimpse of coppery curls and saw that a strange boy was talking to Poppy, leaning closer than he should have been. His body language reminded Gillian of Landon's every time he spoke to Jez, and she smiled. Poppy may have been happy and bouncy most of the time, but if you aggravated her then you awakened a dark side. This guy was in for the shock of his life, and judging from the look in Poppy's eyes, it would be sooner rather than later.

"Are these seats taken?"

Something about the voice struck a chord in Gillian, and she saw her cousin's eyes bug out of her head. A deep red was creeping its way up her neck, but she looked happy, like she had been waiting for this day her whole life. There was no doubt in Gillian's mind about which person this was – Eric.

She looked up and saw Thea smiling shyly at her soulmate, the delicate pink spots in her cheeks making her look more beautiful than ever. Gillian shifted her attention to Eric himself, who was looking at Thea like the world revolved around her. His eyes held such love and longing that she felt awkward and out of place just being at the same table with the two of them. This thought made her miss David even more, and her stomach twisted in on itself.

Suddenly, Gillian felt the silver cord tug and whistle and thrum, and she turned to her left in the same instant that the bench next to her was weighted down. At first, all she could see was a tanned forearm and the sleeve of a navy blue shirt. Her heart leapt up into her throat and she threw her arms around David before he even had a chance to settle himself properly.

"I missed you, I love you, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed all in one breath, tightening her hold across her soulmate's shoulders. Just being able to _touch_ him gave her an immediate sense of calm, made her feel complete again. She hadn't realized just how lost she had been without him until he was within her grasp again. And Goddess, it felt _good_ to have him within her grasp again. Only now could she fully understand the joy that she had seen on Morgead's face when he had set his gaze on Jez. It was truly the best feeling in the world, second only to the discovery on one's soulmate in the first place.

David laughed and hugged Gillian back, the tips of his fingers brushing against the ends of her hair. She relished the feel of his arms around her and snuggled into him deeper, the rest of her lunch long forgotten. "I missed you," she said again. To really show him that she meant it, she slipped into non-verbal communication, using the soulmate link to her advantage. _I really, really missed you, David. I don't know what we were thinking, I think that we panicked, we just wanted to keep you safe, it seemed like a good idea at the time, I'm sor-_

He laughed again, cutting her off. _Gillian, it's ok…we found you guys again, so it's ok._

She pulled out of his hold and pressed a kiss against his lips, reaching down to entwine their fingers together. "So how did you guys find us, anyways?"

David brushed his thumb across her bangs, his touch as light as a butterfly landing onto a flower petal. "There were all of these notes that you guys left behind and we kept finding, telling us where to go, what school you were going to be at, what address you were going to live in. And Delos found out that you were heading to Tennessee after he visited Maggie in one of her dreams."

"We didn't leave any notes," Thea said. Gillian glanced at the other two over the table, her eyes widening a fraction. She had been so caught up in David that she had forgotten that Thea and Eric were sitting just a couple feet away from her. She didn't feel bad though, because Thea's expression suggested the same thing. Separation was obviously fuel in the soulmate bond fire…if that made any sense, Gillian chuckled.

"Well, someone did," Eric said, picking up one of Thea's mini brownies. He looked at her for permission and popped it into his mouth when she nodded, savouring the chocolate flavour as it rolled off of his tongue. It had been so long since he had felt happy enough to enjoy chocolate. Thea, hearing his thought, blushed and grabbed his hand while simultaneously giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Gillian remembered something that Morgead had told her in art class and turned to David, eyebrows formed in a perfect tent. "So how come you didn't come to my Bio class, or my art class? Morgead told me that you all designed your timetables so that you'd share all of our classes."

David and Eric shared a guilty look. "Well, that is true," Eric said, using his free hand to rub the back of his neck, "but we kind of got lost."

"Yeah, it's just that this school is so much bigger than our school in Pennsylvania and Eric's school in Las Vegas, so we went down some wrong hallways, up some incorrect staircases and rounded some corners that we shouldn't have," David cut in, looking embarrassed. "But it doesn't matter, right? The cafeteria is universal, and we're together again."

Gillian laughed and kissed David again, the feeling of euphoria not fading in the slightest. The steady sound of footsteps caught her attention and she turned to see the rest of the girls (excluding those who had already found their soulmates) approaching.

"First Jez, then Keller and now this," Rashel said, balancing her lunch tray in her hands. A slightly bruised apple rolled dangerously close to the edge of the tray, but rightened itself at the last minute, jumping up when she put her tray down on the tabletop. "Does this mean that we all have something to look forward to as the day continues?"

Gillian studied the vampire hunter. She was certain that Rashel's surly tone and permanent frown had less to do with the soulmate couples reuniting and more to do with the fact that she hadn't found Quinn yet. Apparently, someone else had explained the whole thing to the others, which was why they weren't scared of finding their soulmates. They must have realized that we all fight better together instead of apart.

"Probably Jez or Keller," Thea mumbled. Gillian shot her a surprised look. She and her cousin were always on the same page, which was probably the reason why they were such good friends. They always seemed to be on the same wavelength.

A crash sounded around the room, and Gillian whipped her head to see what all of the noise was about. A bench had actually toppled over near the teenage girls, the wooden planks lying on the tiled floor. Some of the girls were backing away and looking around for a teacher, but the majority of the teens were crowding closer to whatever – or whoever – was situated in the middle.

"What is all of that?" Mary-Lynnette asked, craning her neck to get a better look. Some of the girls shifted, revealing a crack in the group, and she gasped. "Rashel…it's _Quinn!_ Quinn is in the middle of all of that brouhaha!"

"Brouhaha?" Poppy whispered, raising her eyebrows. "Really?"

"I like it," Mary-Lynnette retorted, shrugging her shoulders. "Anyways, you're missing the point! Rashel, _Quinn_ is right here, in this cafeteria, surrounded by countless girls who all want to go out with him! Don't you feel jealous at all? I know that if it were Ash, _I'd _want to punch someone's head off." This vaguely reminded Mary-Lynnette of when Bunny had flirted with Ash and the anger that she had felt watching it happen. And that was before she had even acknowledged that she had liked him.

They all turned to look at Rashel, who up until this point hadn't said anything at all. Instead, she was half raised, her legs bent as she seethed quietly. Her eyes bore a hole into the group of girls, her mouth was set and her fists were trembling. Gillian had the urge to duck and scramble away from her, because she knew that what was coming next wouldn't be pretty.

Everyone else seemed to be thinking the same thing; Lady Hannah was even biting her lip. They watched in rapt silence as Rashel untangled her legs from the table and strode over to the horde, her hands still balled into fists. She didn't so much as spare them a glance over her shoulder, her attention was focused on one thing and one thing alone.

"Uh-oh," Maggie said under her breath. Her sorrel coloured eyes were wide as she looked at the scene unfold in front of them. "Looks like Quinn's in trouble."

* * *

**So obviously you should know who comes next; I've pretty much drawn it out for you lol.**

**Anyways, I wanted to thank all of you for making my (strange) dream come true!**

**Remember remember remember...please review! It'd mean the world to me and more :)**


	9. A Perfect Start

**Hey everyone! It's been a couple of weeks, hasn't it?**

**This one has Rashel and Quinn, which I know a lot of you have been waiting for. I know that I started off the Chapter with Quinn (as you'll see shortly), but I changed viewpoints a little ways in. I did this because I thought it would be easier to do the reunion in the girl's point of view...I'm not a boy, so I can't really imagine how one would feel and act and think when reunited with his girlfriend/"soulmate".**

**And I promise you that the NEXT Chapter will have the _other _couple that everyone is asking me to do!  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does**

* * *

Chapter 8

_A Perfect Start_

* * *

When it came right down to it, John Quinn believed that he should be put on the stage – or at least the silver screen. The thing was that he was just so good at _acting_. When he had been working in the slave trade a couple of years ago, he had been acting like he was having a good time. Like he didn't dread going out to the club twice a week, especially after he had been captured by the girl in the cellar…Rashel. One meeting with her had turned his whole world upside down, something that he had tried to hide.

Of course, once Quinn and Rashel moved to Thierry's mansion in Las Vegas, he didn't have to act anymore. This was largely based on the fact that he actually _was_ happy, so his emotions were constantly one hundred percent. But acting, Quinn found out, was the exact same as riding a bicycle. No matter how long it's been since you've done it last, you never forget. It's the easiest thing to just slip back into your old ways.

He was miserable.

First he came home from a mission to find that his soulmate had run away, left him without so much as a warning. Then, while trying to find her, he accidentally ran over a porcupine, delaying the expedition for half of a day. Things were looking up when they finally found the girls' new house, and they were even brighter when a chance to enrol in their new school was given. The highest point so far was getting into all of Rashel's classes, the very idea of sitting next to her thawing the ice encasing his heart. All of which froze again the moment that he was late. He was given a front row seat as Galen found _his _soulmate, but Quinn had missed Rashel only minutes before.

As he sat in the cafeteria, surrounded by a horde of giggling teenage girls, the only thing that he could think about was Rashel. He put up a front for the crowd, acting like he was having the time of his life, acting like he had nothing better to do than sit here and socialize. Honestly, he was itching to find Rashel, even if it meant searching the whole school three times, but Galen, as always, had been the voice of reason. Every single student in the school had the same lunchtime, and Keller said that the girls always sat together in the cafeteria and ate their food. Galen had suggested that he check for cafeteria for Rashel. That way, even if he didn't find her, he could always track down one of the other Daybreaker girls and ask them where she was.

When the bench fell over, the group of girls surrounding him shifted and reassembled, giving him a clear view beyond their barrier for a second. Such a small amount of time, and yet that was all that it took for him to catch a glimpse of long blonde hair and a light pink birthmark. There was only one person who that could have been – Hannah. Finding Lady Hannah meant that Rashel was even closer than he had thought she was, and his heart soared.

He knew that his change in emotion was reflected in his expression, an idea that was reinforced when a gasp rose around the girls. There was a sudden spark that had flared up in his eyes, giving his whole face the look of a blind man who had regained his sight. He knew that he was laying it on a little thick, but that was how he truly felt. Rashel was like a miracle to him; simply, utterly _perfect_.

A brunette was suddenly pulled out of his peripheral vision, her mouth open in a perfect oval as she flew backward. Her friend, a short girl with strawberry blonde hair and large brown eyes, turned to see what was wrong, her brows furrowed. She barely had time to open her mouth before she too was pushed aside. Quinn watched in amusement as one by one, the girls were shoved away. Their protesting groans were music to his ears and he stretched his back, revelling in his newly acquired wiggle room.

He stopped mid-stretch when an angry voice broke through his thoughts. The tone alone would have made lesser men run for cover, but Quinn attempted to bite back a smile. No matter what was being said, it was music to his ears.

"John Quinn…what do you think you're doing?"

.

Rashel was furious.

Their soulmates had taken all of the time and effort to track them down, come to _their_ school and find them – some of the couples were reunited already. But what was her soulmate doing? Sitting in the middle of a group of airheaded teenagers, relishing the attention and milking his looks for all that they were worth. From where she stood, it looked as if Quinn wasn't even thinking about her.

Scratch that, she wasn't furious.

She was _hurt_.

It took a lot to scare Rashel Jordan, the vampire hunter previously known as The Cat. She had faced countless vampires (all of whom lunged for her throat any chance that they got) without as much as a second thought. She had staked them, killed them, scratched them so often that it almost felt like second nature. But if she was being completely honest with herself, the thought of opening up the soulmate link right now terrified her.

She was afraid of what she would feel. She was afraid that as soon as she opened up the connection that she and Quinn shared, she would be bombarded with feelings of intense pleasure, happiness at all of the attention that he was receiving. He certainly looked as if he was having a good time, she noted from her position across the room. He was sitting so that his profile was facing her, and there was a slight smile pulling his mouth upward.

He looked gorgeous.

She stood up, keeping her attention focused on the vampire in front of her. Her hands had folded themselves into fists somewhere along the line, but she didn't uncurl her fingers. She found that squeezing her nails into her palms was keeping her from doing all sorts of rash, mindless things – like giving into her instincts and running to her soulmate. Throwing her arms around him and never letting go.

She unceremoniously shoved girls out of the way, her fierce green eyes fixed on one figure and one figure alone. The schoolgirls thinned out the closer that she got to the centre of the crowd, the few that were left fixing her with wary gazes. A pale girl with black hair moved aside, groaning quietly under her breath as she did so, and Quinn raised his arms to stretch his back. Rashel recognized the gesture immediately; it was something that he only did when he was comfortable.

"John Quinn… what do you think you're doing?" She tried to inject as much venom as she could into her voice, but the soulmate principle was working its magic again. The silver cord seemed to grab hold and pull, forcing the two of them together. Without being consciously aware of moving, Rashel found herself in Quinn's arms, her face buried in the crook of his neck. His cheek was pressed against her hair, and she could _feel_ his sigh of relief reverberate through her mind. No matter how hard she tried to keep the wall up, skin to skin contact always acted like a wrecking ball, tearing down the strongest of structures.

Her thoughts were floating out in the open, seeming foolish compared to the sense of togetherness that they were feeling at this very moment. How could she have ever thought that he didn't want to find her, that he enjoyed all of the other attention? How could she have ever felt that way? It was wrong, all wrong, and she knew that now. She had known it before too, but her emotions had gotten the best of her; something she usually tried to avoid.

_Oh Rashel…I love you. _Quinn's words were gentle, his fingers skimming lightly over her long dark hair. He pressed a kiss against her temple and tightened his grip, his arms criss-crossing across her body as if he never wanted to let go. _How could you think those things of me?_

She felt his pain as if it were her own. _I don't know, I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry…I just _missed_ you. I'm sorry that I left, but we really thought it was the best thing to do at the time. _Rashel debated telling him about the hallucinations and Hunter Redfern's threat, but she couldn't bring herself to talk about it. The images flashed in her thoughts and Quinn caught a glimpse of them. He froze against her, the soothing motion of his hands in her hair stopping as he tried to make sense of what he had just seen.

_You have to know…that's not going to happen._ There was comfort in his words and Rashel relaxed. Her body sagged, an action that made her head fit more comfortably beneath his chin. _So that was why all of you left? Hunter Redfern appeared to you all and threatened to kill your soulmates?_

_Not just Hunter. Keller saw the dragon, Lady Hannah saw Maya, Mare saw Jeremy…all of the bad guys we'd run into before, they were in our rooms. They looked…evil. Pure evil. And we all panicked, we just couldn't stand the thought of losing you guys, we only wanted to keep you safe! _Now that Rashel was able to put her feelings into words, they were tumbling out faster than she could have imagined. She switched to verbal communication to drive her next point home. "Quinn…I just couldn't lose you."

The horde erupted in a chorus of awwwws. The sound snapped Rashel back into reality and she lifted her head from Quinn's shoulder. Her curtain of dark hair shivered as she shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind. She had been apart from Quinn for so long that the feeling of disorientation following the severed connection was ten times worse than usual.

"That is like, totally what happened this morning!" The sugary voice dominated the rest, raising to such loud tones that there was no way Rashel and Quinn could have ignored it. They turned to find Britnee Erikson pointing excitedly at them, her finger shaking. She was talking to her friend Debbie, whose bright blue eyes were shining brilliantly. Her empty bottle was dangling from her fingertips, swaying from side to side as she bounced on the balls of her feet. "And that's the other guy that I told you about, Deb! The one who came in with the gorgeous blonde one! It was like, the exact same thing, I swear!"

"Keller and Galen?" Rashel asked, turning back to her soulmate.

Quinn nodded. "In your English class. We went, but Keller told me that you had just left to decorate for Homecoming. I missed you by ten minutes."

"Doesn't matter," Rashel murmured, brushing her lips against his. "We're here now, right?"

"I love you Rashel," Quinn said simply. He spoke against her lips, sending shock waves of pleasure through her body. She had no idea how she had lived without him for so long. Somewhere distantly in the back of her mind, she admired Mary-Lynnette. She had been without Ash for a whole year, and then picked up and left again, no questions asked. Mare was definitely stronger than she looked.

"I love you too, Quinn."

He cupped her cheeks in his gentle hands and stared into her eyes, onyx meeting emerald. "Promise that you'll never leave again Rashel…alright?" His words were slow and deliberate, as if he was speaking in a foreign language and trying to make her understand. "I have no idea how Ash did it for a year, all I know is that I _can't_. Promise?"

She had never heard her soulmate say anything like that before. He was usually so calm and composed; they were similar in that way. Still, she couldn't help but think that his request was endearing. Rashel smiled and pressed a kiss onto his cheek. "I promise."

XxXxX

Cafeteria food was disgusting. It wasn't any good in Montana, and it definitely wasn't any good in Tennessee. Hannah stabbed at her slop with her fork before pushing her tray away, her mouth set in a grimace. Why hadn't she gone the same route as Thea and Gillian and brown bagged it? Now she was hungry with nothing to eat, but not near desperate enough to touch whatever the lunch lady had served her.

"Brownie?" Thea offered her, holding out her bag. The blonde witch shook it once to gain Hannah's attention and smiled. "I know that it's not _food, _but it's better than nothing."

Hannah smiled and took a chocolate square from the packaging, holding it between her thumb and forefinger as she took a small bite. The strong taste of cocoa assaulted her taste buds and she took a quick sip of her water bottle – the only thing that she had bought today that was actually safe to consume.

She swallowed and recapped the bottle, tucking some hair behind her ear with her free hand. Her gnarly lunch wasn't the only thing that was tramping on her spirits, though. Hannah was upset because she felt as if everyone was finding their soulmate but her. She knew that it was a petty way of thinking, but she couldn't help it; she missed Thierry more than she let on. Some of the others had openly grieved for their soulmates but she had always kept her mouth shut. She knew that the others respected her, even looked up to her in a way. She had made the decision long ago that she would be strong enough for all nine of them.

Hannah took another bite of her brownie and thought about what had happened so far during the course of the day. Jez and Morgead had met up in Biology class, the first couple to be reunited. They were shortly followed by Galen and Keller, then Thea and Eric and David and Gillian and an amazing double team. As if that wasn't bad enough (for her…she was _completely_ overjoyed for her friends, don't' get her wrong, but she wanted to see Thierry again), Rashel and Quinn had made up right in front of her.

Where was Thierry?

Before she could even open her mouth to ask one of the guys, the bell rang. The shrill sound cut through the air, and all at once a flurry of movement erupted in the cafeteria. Students jumped out of their seats, trying to balance their trays while pushing in their chairs. Large lines were forming by the numerous garbage bins but they moved quickly, shortening before Hannah's eyes. The student body seemed very rehearsed and prepared for when they had to go to class. She had been here for a week and this display never ceased to amaze her.

The others stood up, the soulmate couples holding hands. They all smiled at Hannah and left, hurrying to their classes. In this new school, three lates meant an after school detention and no one wanted that. Everyone that Hannah knew tried to get to class on time, even if it meant throwing away the remainder of their lunch.

Fortunately, she didn't have this problem; she had a spare period now. Unfortunately, none of her friends had the same spare that she did. This typically meant that she spent at least one hour and twenty minutes a day in the school library, either finishing up her homework or reading a book. Even more unfortunately, there was a group of four guys that was always in the library at the same time that she was.

The staring seemed to happen in shifts. On the first day, Hannah had been minding her own business, sitting at the table alone and working on her Family Studies textbook questions. She was about to answer the last question when the back of her neck prickled. She could _feel_ the gaze on her skin, feel where it roamed all over her body. Then, as soon as it began, it stopped.

Just as she put her pen down, it started again. This time, she turned her head around, trying to catch the culprit. The only other table that was occupied was two rows behind her. Four guys sat around the tabletop, their mouths twisted into smirks as they looked her over. She noticed eight eyes linger on her left cheek and she ducked her head, using her hair as a shield. Medicine Rock was a small town and she had never come across characters like these before. Oh, she'd read about them in books and seen them in movies but she'd never encountered one.

It was her lucky day – now she had four.

With a sigh, she got to her feet and threw her sludge into the garbage. Her book bag was slung over one shoulder and kept bumping into her hip as she travelled the familiar path to the library. She had nothing else to do, so she might as well study. The thought of looking around the school for Thierry did cross her mind, but she quickly shot down the idea. What if he was in class? Was she going to kick the door down and rush over to his desk? No, the best thing to do would be to wait for school to finish. If she didn't find him by then, she would ask one of the other guys. Surely they would know where she could find him.

Hannah pushed open the heavy door and made a beeline for her usual table. She plopped down into one of the wooden chairs and pulled her English notebook out of her bag, noticing with satisfaction that a pen was snuggled safely in the wire coil. The next thing that she pulled out was her copy of _Hamlet_, the play that her class was studying. She had to pick a passage from Act 1 Scene 2 and translate it into modern language. Easy enough, but she wasn't exactly in the mood.

The sound of chairs scraping against the floor caught her attention and she immediately stiffened. She carefully threw a glance over her shoulder and saw the four guys coming towards her table, their steps menacing. She quickly shoved everything back into her bag and got up, making for the door as quickly as she could. She knew that they were following her, she could hear them.

Funny how she could face the first ever vampire, kill her even, and not break a sweat, but four teenage thugs made her nerves frazzle. She hung onto one wooden railing and swung around it, taking the steps two at a time. If she could make it upstairs, she would be safe. Classroom doors were on every side of the hallway, each half made out of glass. No one would be able to touch her in such a populated area. Here in the atrium, where it was completely deserted? That was a different story.

She was almost there, just a few more steps to go. Her heart leapt into her throat as she reached the landing. She was going to make it, she had no reason to be scared, she –

– wasn't fast enough. Her foot was inches away from crossing into the hallway when a tight grip clamped down onto her arm, pulling her backwards with such force that she almost fell.

"Hey, where are you going?"

The one who was gripping her arm was the ringleader; she could tell that now. He stood in the front, his dark eyes shining with unheard-of mischief. His dirty blonde hair was spiked up into a cheap imitation of a Mohawk and a scattering of freckles stood out against his pale skin. His voice was reedy and high, but still held a certain degree of malice. Enough that all of Hannah's hair stood on end as she tried to break free.

"Hey hey, what do you think you're doing?" he asked, mouth pulled up into the _ugliest_ smirk that she had ever seen. "Stop that, now."

"Let go of me!" she cried, wrenching her arm away from him. She succeeded but found that she had nowhere to go. The gang had closed in on her, their looming faces forming a wall around her small frame. "Leave me alone you…brutes!"

The biggest guy laughed. "Look at that Doug, this one's feisty!"

The one called Doug smiled. "That she is. And I do like them feisty. Why don't you come with us, sweetie, and we can drive around town. Drink a couple of beers, sneak into a couple of movies. You can even come home with me if you want. What do you say?"

"No."

It was exactly what Hannah was thinking, but she hadn't said anything. The voice rang with authority and purpose and her heart swelled. She recognized the voice, more, she _loved_ the voice. The voice, the person behind it, the very essence of the whole being. She knew him, and she loved him.

Thierry.

The gang stepped back, providing Hannah with the best view that she had seen in a long time. Her soulmate stood on the landing, his eyes dark and bottomless. His fists were clenched at his sides as he took in the situation, his jaw tightening with every passing second. He looked dangerous and ruthless and…beautiful. Even in the heat of the moment, Hannah could take the necessary seconds to acknowledge this fact. He looked _good_.

Doug stepped towards the vampire, his head held high. He didn't look scared, but Hannah noticed that the swing in his step was gone. Even he knew that Thierry was dangerous and he was the stupidest person that Hannah had ever met. His entourage was inching away from Hannah now, their faces set but their eyes uncertain. She knew that they were reforming around Thierry to give their boss backup if he needed it.

"Hannah, are you alright?"

Her eyes filled with tears. Facing off with the thugs, Thierry was composed and dispassionate, as merciless as any vampire in the Night World. But when he turned to face her, his whole expression changed, his eyes softening, his mouth relaxing. There was such open concern in his voice that she couldn't take it. More than anything, she wanted to collapse into his arms and hug him and kiss him and just _be together_. She nodded and brushed at her cheeks with the back of her hand, catching her tears before they rolled away.

He nodded at her and the corner of his lip turned up in a small smile which quickly disappeared when he focused his attention on the thugs again. His eyes hardened once more, changing into such a dark colour that even Hannah felt frightened. She had never seen him act this way before. But then again, a low voice said in the back of her mind, he's never seen you in this much danger before. Maya was different; she was powerful and heartless and threatened to kill you if he came any closer. These guys are so pathetic that they couldn't kill a mosquito if it was buzzing right in front of their faces.

The voice was right. As tough as the gang liked to act, they were withering under Thierry's steely gaze. Doug had backed up now, his shoulders hunched right up to his ears. Hannah had the feeling that he was fighting the urge to run away because his legs were trembling and his knees looked as if they were locked in place. But as pathetic as they were, they didn't deserve this. They were just stupid thugs who were wasting their time. Important time that could be otherwise well spent…like to make up for a certain week and a half when Hannah had been soulmate-less.

She lifted the wall around her thoughts and used the soulmate link to connect her mind to Thierry's. If was a bit more difficult because they weren't having any skin-to-skin contact, but she managed to get her message across. _Thierry…come on, just leave them. They're not worth it. And they weren't going to hurt me, I don't think. Look at them, they're just full of bravado…all bark, no bite. Thierry, _please.

He looked away from the gang as Hannah's voice filled his mind. The four guys took their opportunity and ran away, jumping down the staircase as fast as their legs could possibly take them. Thierry paid no attention at all to them, his gaze never leaving Hannah's. In three swift steps he was in front of her, his hands clasped around her shoulders. Hannah leaned forward and kissed him gently, sighing in satisfaction when the world fell away.

_I thought I would never find you,_ Hannah admitted shyly, unusually self-conscious as her previous feelings made themselves known to Thierry. She felt his reaction and smiled at how silly he thought her to be. She should have known all along, just as he had done when he left the mansion. He would come and find her. He would go to the ends of the earth to find her again; after all, hadn't he been doing that for centuries?

Thierry did not even have to ask about the girls' sudden departure; Hannah willingly offered him her memories. He saw everything, from the nightmare that scared her awake all the way to the trip to the hotel. He rested his cheek against her hair as the images bombarded him, her remembered emotions running as freely through his body as they were hers.

_It doesn't matter what happens to me. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters. _

Hannah bristled at Thierry's statement. No matter what they had gone through, he couldn't believe that. _That's not true,_ she argued. Her words were spoken in a measured tone, but Hannah knew that Thierry could feel the ferocity laced between each syllable. _If anything happens to me, Thierry, if I die…I'll come back. But you're a vampire…if you die, that's it. I _cannot_ live through all of my lifetimes without you._

"That doesn't matter," Thierry said softly, shifting position so that he was speaking directly into Hannah's ear. "That doesn't matter because nothing is going to happen. Maya's _dead _and she can't harm us any longer. We're going to be ok; as long as we're together, we'll be ok."

She took comfort in his words, in his confidence and just the sheer amount of truth behind his thoughts. He was right. As long as they stood together, the leaders of Circle Daybreak, they'd be fine. Nothing would ever be able to tear them apart again.

"I'm sorry I left," she murmured, leaning into him. Her adrenaline rush had faded as soon as the threats had run out of view and now she felt tired. There was nothing more she wanted than to go back to Las Vegas and live in the mansion again. Wildflower Meadows was beautiful, but it wasn't where she belonged. She belonged with Thierry, and he belonged at his mansion, running Circle Daybreak. "I love you."

He smiled down at her and kissed her forehead softly. "I love you too, Hannah." He straightened up suddenly and ran his hands down her arms until their fingers met. They seemed to entwine of their own accord, wrapping tightly around each other. Thierry's smile broadened and he pulled Hannah down the stairs, the only thing separating them their own hands. When they arrived at the foot of the staircase Hannah started towards the side door, gently guiding her soulmate along with her. "Where are we going?"

She smiled mischievously. "I'm not in the mood to go to World History," she said, bumping the heavy door open with her hip. Her bag fell off of her shoulder, resting in the crook of her elbow and hanging precariously close to her feet. Thierry reached out and removed it from her arm, bunching the strap up and holding the bag itself in his hand. She shot him a grateful smile and squeezed his hand. "Thank you. So anyways, I'm not in the mood to go to class, so I thought that we could just relax, spend some time together."

Hannah led him to the private grounds that were taken care of by the Gardening class. The grass looked especially green in this little part of the field, and flowers were blooming all around, bursts of colour on an otherwise monochrome landscape. The sky was the perfect backdrop and a spark of recognition flared inside Hannah. This was exactly like her dream…every detail was the same, down to the very last bird cawing melodiously in a nearby tree.

Thierry recognized the scene too, his realization so strong that Hannah could _sense_ it rather than feel it. The only difference between this moment and her dream was that Thierry wouldn't leave her; she wouldn't end up alone. She knew that as sure as she knew that he was her soulmate.

They sat down underneath a majestic oak, leaning against the gnarled trunk comfortably. Hannah curled up next to Thierry and laid her head on his chest. A comfortable silence enveloped them and she absentmindedly played with his fingers, working on different ways to connect their hands together. They had been apart for more than a week and had a lot of time to make up for.

But right here, right now? This was a perfect start.

* * *

**Yeah, the gang of thugs (and I use that term loosely lol) was pathetic, huh? Don't worry, nothing was going to happen to Hannah. Just like Doug said, they wanted her to chill with them and kind of join the gang. They all thought that she was hot, so they wanted to hang out with her more.**

**One more thing : I just wanted to apologize. For one thing, I know that it's been a little while, and I'm not entirely sure that this Chapter makes up for the long wait. Which does bring me to what else I want to apologize for...sorry for posting what is possibly the worst Chapter in the whole story! I'm really really sorry that it was so bad!**

**But still, please review, tell me what you thought. Even if it doesn't match up with my own criticism, I'm still curious to know all of your opinions. Which can be done in one word - reviews! :)**


	10. Miracle in Disguise

**Whoa, Monday to Monday, huh? Now, taking school and life into consideration, I think that that's a pretty fast update, don't you?**

**The good news is that I am on Christmas vacation, which means that I can (hopefully) update a lot more frequently. Of course, the whole vacation is only two weeks and once I go back to school in January I have exams and the works, so there might be a big gap coming next month. Just letting you know! But the next Chapter will be up before then anyways, so nothing really to worry about.**

**So anyways, I hope you enjoy this Chapter! It's the couple that everyone has been waiting for! [seems like]**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does**

* * *

Chapter 9

_Miracle in Disguise_

* * *

_Brrrrrrring!_

The bell rang, cutting off the homework assignment that Madame Fenway was trying to give the class. Everyone stood up and started stuffing their worksheets into their backpacks, not caring in the slightest if the edges got crumpled. After a few more seconds of trying to get the class's attention, the French teacher let out a deep sigh, threw her hands up in the air and trudged over to her desk.

For umpteenth time, Maggie could not help but think that becoming a high school teacher had not been the wisest career move for the woman. Madame Fenway was slight, a couple inches shorter than Maggie herself. Her fine dark curls were so long that they brushed her waist, her voice so soft that she sounded like she was permanently whispering. Although she was the sweetest teacher that Maggie had ever had, she did not deal well with chaos – and a high school French classroom was always filled to the brim with chaos. When times got rough, Madame retreated to her desk and read a magazine, leaving her class to do what they wished until the period ended.

Maggie stood up, slung her bag over her shoulder and exited the classroom, giving her teacher a half smile as she crossed the threshold. If Maggie was being completely honest with herself, she felt as if she had _two_ spares every day. Many students _thought_ that they wished for a schedule like that, but it was exhausting. After wasting an hour and a half in French class, Maggie then got to roam around the school until the ending bell rang,

Today, though, she had a plan. Being the soccer team captain in her old school was fun, and if there was one thing that she missed from her old life, it was the feeling of getting involved. Making new friends, going to team parties, having sleepovers…_those_ were the highlights of her previous school years. With these thoughts in mind, Maggie had signed up for Homecoming committee the second day that she and the others had come to this school.

Since the dance was tomorrow night, she didn't have too much time to do any last minute advertising. The only thing that she could think to do was stick up extra posters around the school. The janitors had pulled down the old ones because a few students had defaced them all. She had to replace them before Homecoming tomorrow night, just in case anybody decided to attend and needed the information.

Armed with a stack of posters and a roll of packing tape, Maggie began her rounds through the school. She had left her bag in her locker, reasoning that the extra dead weight would just slow her down. She had her hands full with the supplies already; she didn't need her stuff tagging along with her. It was just too much to juggle.

"Hey Maggie, do you need any help with that?"

She turned, her auburn hair swirling around her as she did so. Standing a couple of feet behind her was Andrew Weismann, one floppy curl hanging over his left eye. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he looked completely at ease, almost as if he expected her to drop what she was doing and worship the ground that he walked on. As much as she hated the attitude she found that she couldn't exactly blame him; half of the student body bowed down to him on an everyday basis. Not only was Andy the student council president, he was also the star quarterback on the football team and the first place winner in the annual talent show. And it became more apparent each day that he had his sights set on Maggie.

He took one step closer and reached out toward her dwindling stack of posters. She put up a bit of a fight, but finally gave in, releasing her hold. What was the harm in him helping her? She knew that she was painting a bright red bullseye on her forehead – after all, Andy was the most loved student of all time. But all of the girls in the whole school hated her anyways, so what did this matter? It wasn't like she even held any attraction towards him. Her heart, soul, everything….it all belonged to Delos and always would.

"Sure, that would be great," she smiled at him, tossing the roll of packing tape from one hand to the other. She brought her fingers together in a cone and slipped the roll onto her wrist, creating the chunkiest bracelet that she had ever worn. "Thanks, Andy."

He returned her smile and started to move down the hallway, stopping every few feet to position a poster on the wall. Maggie handed him the necessary pieces of tape with expert fingers. She had stuck so many of these posters all over the school that she could do it in her sleep. As they worked, the pair chatted about random, everyday occurrences – her failing grade in Chem class, his winning touchdown at the last away game. Just as Maggie was ripping the last piece of tape from the cardboard roll, Andy said something that caught her interest.

"Hey, did you hear about the crazy couples?"

Her heart skipped a beat. She knew that he must be talking about the soulmates, but she didn't think that there was anything to discuss about them. What was so crazy about getting together? What on Earth had they done to warrant the whole school talking about them? She chose her words carefully, keeping her eyes trained on the piece of tape stuck between her fingers. "What about them?"

Something in her voice must have surprised him because he lowered the poster, turned around and leaned against the wall, his sapphire eyes searching her face intently. "Well, I was never really around when it happened, but I must have heard the story five times already. It's about your friends, I think – the girls that you hang out with? Apparently all day these guys have been popping up around the school, and they always find themselves near your friends. They make eye contact, lock gazes…and after a full ten minutes of silence, they kiss and talk as if they've known each other for their whole lives. From what I hear it's kind of…bizarre."

Maggie swallowed. How stupid she was not to notice before, but of course all of the bystanders would think that it was odd. To the Daybreakers it was no big deal; they were all used to the soulmate principle. They knew that staring usually meant mental communication, that locking gazes was one of the most wonderful things that they could do. But to everyone else who knew nothing about the Night World it was just strange.

"Oh…well, it really isn't as bizarre as you would think," she said shakily, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "We all…the guys are my friends' boyfriends. We left them and moved here, and so they followed us. Not in a stalker kind of way, more like in a _loving_ way, do you know what I mean? That's all there is to it, really."

He took the strip of tape from her and secured the poster to the wall. "So…do you have one of these boyfriends?" He led her around a corner as he asked his question, looking straight ahead. The next hallway was deserted except for two girls sitting on the floor, their binders open in front of them. They looked up as Maggie and Andy approached and excited giggles soon filled the air. Maggie was certain that it had more to do with her companion than her, a thought that was proven when the two girls narrowed their eyes. If this was how they reacted to Andy, she would hate to see their expressions if they ever saw Delos. The vampire prince was _one thousand_ times better looking than Andy could ever be.

"Maggie?"

She hadn't even realized that she was looking down until she raised her head. "Yeah?"

"You never answered my question."

She was well aware. The truth was that she had been trying to avoid talking about Delos. It was ok for her to think about him, but once she started putting those feelings into words the ache felt too real. If she so much as said his name out loud it felt like a punch in the gut. She hated being away from him, hated it when she was trying to protect him and hated it even more at this moment. Now that she knew that there was nothing to worry about, she felt as if this whole thing was pointless. All of the pain, all of the heartache…all for nought. And speaking about it brought a fresh wave of hurt crashing down around her.

Maggie held up the empty roll as a distraction. "Oh, look, we ran out of tape. Can you do me a favour and please run back to room 201 and grab another roll? I want to finish putting up all of these posters before school finishes."

He gave her an odd look but complied, handing her the remainder of the posters and taking off in the direction that she was pointing at. Once he had turned the corner she allowed herself a sigh of relief, resting her head against the cool concrete wall and closing her eyes. That had been a lot closer than she would have liked. She would have to remember not to tread so closely to the topic of soulmates next time. She didn't know what she would do if Andy asked another question like that. Especially since it seemed that Delos had no intention of coming to get her; he was nowhere to be found.

With that thought in mind she scrubbed her eyes and straightened. Obviously she couldn't stick anything up without the tape, but she could try to position the poster on the wall. As stupid as it sounded, it gave her something to do to keep her mind off of Delos. And right now, she _needed_ to keep her mind off of him. Once she let the thoughts trickle in, they consumed her until she couldn't concentrate on anything else. He was her soulmate, after all. Things would be out of balance if he didn't distract her.

A breathy voice disturbed the silence, causing Maggie to flinch. If there was one thing that she had no patience for it was ditzy girls. "Oh my gosh, Tabby, look at him! He is _gorgeous!_"

Maggie ignored her, but noted that the sound of footsteps had accompanied her exclamation. She thought nothing of it, filing it away in the back of her mind as unimportant. It's probably just Andy coming back anyways, she thought, tilting the poster board a little up on the left. You know how crazy all of the girls get over him. She grimaced and brought the right corner up to match the other side. For some reason this poster was being difficult and it was really starting to annoy her.

"You are totally right!" the second girl – Tabby, Maggie guessed – answered. Her voice hitched at the end, skyrocketing into a tiny shriek. "Kayla, he is honestly the hottest guy that I have ever seen in my entire life."

"Hotter even than the blonde one with green eyes, or the dark haired one with black eyes?"

"Definitely. And even the black haired one with the _bright_ green eyes. This one is definitely the hottest."

Maggie stiffened. Up until this point she had disregarded their conversation as gossip, but their last statements struck something in her. The blonde guy with green eyes…that had to be Galen. And the other two were surely Quinn and Morgead – which meant that the person coming up behind her was _not _Andy. It wasn't anyone normal at all.

It had to be a Night Person.

Her mind screamed out instantly, willing it to be Delos with all that it could. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but it seemed like the only possible explanation. Maybe he had finally come to find her, finally come to take her back to the mansion. She had to be with him. No matter where they went or what they did, she had to be with him.

The poster slipped from her grasp, but a strong hand planted it in place before it could reach the ground. She turned slowly and her breath caught in her throat. Delos. Delos was here, looking as magnificent as ever. There was so much compassion in his golden eyes that she choked back a sob and threw her arms around him, the feeling of being held by him just perfect. It was almost as if she had never left at all.

_You don't need to explain anything to me, Maggie. _

His words shocked her, the emotion so strong that she felt it reverberate in his mind. He chuckled softly and held her closer. Images flooded through her brain, each one more vivid than the last: Delos talking to Morgead and Jez during lunchtime, his growing anger as Jez explained to him why they all left, the overwhelming despair that he felt when he couldn't find Maggie in the school. Each picture was like a crystal, glowing brilliantly every time that Maggie was mentioned.

_I'm sorry_. _I love you._

_ I love you too, Maggie._

She felt as if there was a blow up mattress lodged beneath her ribcage. Each moment that passed it inflated a little more, continuing in this fashion until she couldn't take it anymore. It felt as if it were about to burst any minute and once it did, she knew that her control would all be over. One wrong move and she would be sobbing into Delos' chest, the sensation of being with him again almost too much to take.

She couldn't remember a time that she had ever been this happy.

"Maggie?"

A pinprick hole appeared in her blow up mattress, the air rushing out at the sound of Andy's voice. As nice as he was, the boy sure knew how to ruin a moment. She clutched Delos' shirt for a second more and then raised her head, shaking her bangs out of her eyes as she searched for Andrew. She found him off to the side, a roll of packing tape hanging loosely around his wrist. His eyes were wide and hurt – obviously he had a _big _crush on Maggie.

Delos moved to the side but did not let go of her hand. He looked at Andy curiously, turning to Maggie for further information. Using the soulmate link she told him that he was a classmate who was helping her put up all of the posters and that he seemed to have like her. Delos visibly stiffed at the end but gamely smiled at Andy, although Maggie realized that his stance had become notably more protective.

"Thanks for the tape, Andy. And this is my boyfriend, Delos."

"Boyfriend? No way! Why does she get all of the hot guys? She's not even that pretty," Kayla whisper-shouted to Tabitha. "She's so lucky!"

Delos glared at the two girls, his protectiveness increasing tenfold. How dare anyone berate his Maggie, and in front of him! She was _more_ than pretty, beautiful, vivid…a miracle in disguise. Those girls were worse than the human boy who was looking at his soulmate with goo-goo eyes. He couldn't help but wonder exactly what kind of place Maggie had brought him to.

Catching his thoughts, Maggie laughed. She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, wrapping her arms around his waist in a halfway hug. _I don't care what they think. Your opinion is really the only one that matters, Delos, and they're just jealous. I don't care._

_ How are you so amazing?_

She blushed at his praise. "Well, you know, I try."

He didn't understand the joke. "You succeed."

Maggie laughed again. "Hey, do you want to help me put the rest of these posters up?" When he nodded she turned to Andy and smiled at the quarterback. "Thanks for your help Andy, really, but is it ok if Delos helps me finish it off? I haven't seen him in a while and it would be great if we could catch up."

Andrew handed the tape to Delos reluctantly, his mouth turned down at the corners. "Sure, no problems. See you later Maggie; nice meeting you Delos." His tone implied that he thought no such thing, but he stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled down the hall, throwing a glance at the soulmates over his shoulder. Maggie waved at him, her grip tightening around Delos reflexively.

Kayla and Tabby seemed to swallow him up as he passed, jumping to their feet and trailing after him. Andy answered them politely but Maggie could tell that his heart wasn't in it. He was speaking with much less animation than usual and his hands never strayed from his pockets. She felt bad about snubbing him but she couldn't help it – Delos was her soulmate and he was the _only_ person for her. They belonged together, simple as that. The whole situation was out of her hands.

"How about we just throw the rest of the posters away?" Delos asked, his voice thick with mischief.

Maggie smiled. "We can't. I need to put them up before the dance tomorrow. Last minute advertising is golden, you know." The committee had hardwired that little fact into her brain. She honestly couldn't care less if the posters were stuck up around the school or lying at the bottom of a dumpster. She had only volunteered to put them up because she was bored during her spare. But now that Delos was here she was finding that she had so much more that she could do.

He touched his lips to her cheek. "I missed you, Maggie."

She shivered and dropped the stack of posters on the floor. What did it matter about the dance? There were posters all over the school. Besides, didn't enough people know about Homecoming already? If you didn't know by now, you were cutting it a little close. If the rest of the committee really wanted the posters stuck up that badly they could do it themselves. She was done for the day.

Maggie twisted around so that she was facing him and rested her cheek against his shoulder. "I missed you too. I know that I said it before, but I really am sorry. We all thought that it was for the best."

Delos didn't answer. Instead he kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair off of her face. His touch was cool and gentle and Maggie felt her heart leap into her throat. Everything was fine now; she could feel it deep in her bones. No matter what Hunter Redfern said to her, it didn't matter. If he was back, Circle Daybreak could take him. Delos had defeated him once and he could do it again. None of it was important right now…the only thing that mattered was that they were together.

She was with her soulmate and everything was perfect.

XxXxX

All four of Mary-Lynnette's classes required textbooks, which meant that her locker was currently overflowing with school supplies. Pencils were strewn around the lower shelf, as were sheets of paper and a couple notebooks. All of her binders were stacked neatly against the locker wall, the spines labelled and facing straight out. She had no homework today, which made it much easier on her backpack. Carrying it home when it was empty beat stuffing it with books and binders any day.

She shut her locker door with a click and snapped the lock closed. As she turned to face Poppy – their lockers were next to each other – she absentmindedly swirled the combination wheel. It slid around and around, the bright green plastic dazzling. She twisted her mouth into a slight grimace and wondered for what felt like the hundredth time why she hadn't bought the navy blue lock. Not only was it less visually assaulting but it reminded her of how the night sky had looked in Briar Creek.

"Mare, are you sure that you don't want to skip the meeting and go home with everyone else?" Poppy asked, clicking her own locker shut and transferring her bubble gum pink binder from one hand to the next. She hoisted her backpack up onto her knee and shoved the folder inside, shaking it up and down to redistribute the weight. "Because you can, you know."

Mary-Lynnette shook her head. "That's the problem, I can't. I already missed the meeting yesterday and they need me. I'm the club leader, I can't just ditch out in them when I don't feel like going." She gathered her hair into a ponytail and raised her eyebrows at the vampire. "Besides, you're not going home either – cheerleading tryouts, remember?"

A wide grin overtook Poppy's face. "I would never forget! I've always wondered what it would be like to be a cheerleader. Guess now is my best shot, huh?"

Mary-Lynnette nodded. "Good luck, Pop. I'll meet you here once we're both finished and then we can go home, right?" She turned to go after catching a glimpse of Poppy's nod but stopped a couple of steps away, her grip tightening on the shoulder strap of her backpack. She took a deep breath and then asked her friend what had been on her mind all day. "Hey…Poppy? Do you think…do you think that there is some reason why Ash didn't come for me yet? We're the _only_ ones who haven't found our soulmates yet…does that upset you?"

She saw Poppy stiffen from the corner of her eye and scolded herself. Of course it upset Poppy; it would upset any of them! It just so happened that misfortune had chosen to smile upon the two of them, that was all. But Mary-Lynnette couldn't help but feel that the all was much worse than nothing. She swallowed hard and fought not to look at her friend. "Never mind Poppy, forget I said anything. See you later."

She continued en route to room 106, the unofficial meeting room for the Astronomy Club. She had followed Maggie's lead and chosen to get involved when they enrolled in this school, the various assortment of clubs and teams a startling change from back home in Oregon. The Astronomy Club caught her eye (understandably) and she signed up right away. During her very first meeting she had been appointed the new club leader, astounding every member with her vast knowledge of the stars. She had tried to decline but they insisted and she eventually gave in; if she was going to start a new life at a new school, she might as well do something that she loves, right?

"Sorry I'm late guys," she said, dropping her bag on the floor next to her desk. She slid into her seat and smiled at the group, taking everyone in. To her right was Lissa, her strawberry blonde ringlets pulled away from her face and held back with an array of colourful bobby pins. In the desk beside her was Hayden, his straight black hair falling into his eyes as usual. Next was Mollie, a sophomore who was all crazy red hair and freckles. She smiled brightly at Mary-Lynnette and stuck her lollipop back into her mouth. Finally there was Emma, a Goth girl with pink streaks in her hair and multiple piercings in her ears. She didn't look like the academic type, but she was getting nearly perfect in all of her classes. Breaking the mould. Mary-Lynnette loved it.

"How come you weren't here yesterday?" Lissa asked, tucking a smattering of curls behind her ear. They jumped out as soon as she removed her hand and she sighed in annoyance, rearranging her hair clips to hold the bundle back. "Did something happen at home?"

Mare smiled and shook her head. "No, not really. I wasn't feeling well so I went home a little early. Sorry I couldn't tell you guys."

"It's no problem," Mollie said. Her musical voice flowed through the room, barely understandable because she was attempting to speak around the candy in her mouth. As long as Mary-Lynnette had known her (which was only a week, but still) she always had a sucker with her, usually the green kind. Mare was so used to it that she thought Mollie looked weird if she _wasn't_ clutching a lollipop in her left hand. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Mary."

Mary-Lynnette let out an inaudible sigh. That was the one thing with the Astronomy Club; they always called her Mary. She had told them on the first day that she didn't like that name but they didn't listen to her. All of the club members argued that Mary-Lynnette was too long a name, so they had to shorten it some way. And although she had given them countless suggestions, they all stuck to Mary. All except Emma, who called her nothing less than Mary-Lynnette.

Hayden looked at her closely, his bright eyes never wavering. "Are you ok, Mary? You look kind of pale." He snuck a glance at Lissa as he said this, probably hoping that she was seeing how perceptive he was being. He never tried to hide the fact that he had an enormous crush on the girl, but she never seemed to catch on. At the moment she was picking at her rainbow striped nail polish, her head bent intently over her fingers.

Mare patted his hand sympathetically, biting her lip. "I'm fine," she insisted, thanking her lucky stars that she was a good liar. The truth was that she didn't feel so good. She couldn't get the thought of a certain blonde out of her mind and it was showing. She was afraid that the longer she sat here without him the more difficult it would be to hold her composure and she couldn't let that happen.

Interestingly, it was as she was thinking these exact thoughts that it happened.

It began as a tingling all over her body, causing gooseflesh to rise up on her naked arms and neck. The feeling wasn't unpleasant though, and her eyes widened. This had never happened to her before and she had no idea what to make of it. Should she be scared? Nervous? Excited? Curious? They all swirled around her, circling her heart like a drain. She had no clue as to what was going on.

The minute she heard someone step into the room she knew. All of her previous emotions drained away, leaving a feeling of utter longing behind. Taking a deep breath, Mary-Lynnette shut her eyes tightly and turned around. When she opened them again she found herself face to face with none other than Ash Redfern, his eyes a glittering blue. They widened when he saw that she was looking at him and changed instantly to a deep violet.

"Mary-Lynnette."

"Ash."

She shakily got to her feet and took a few tentative steps towards him. She was vaguely aware that her friends were watching the scene unfold but she couldn't care less. She had to prove that he was real. That he hadn't forgotten about her, that he was really here, standing mere feet away from her in this room. This was why she did the only thing she could do to convince herself. When she stood right in front of him she pulled her foot back and smashed it into his shin, welcoming the solid contact with pure joy.

He _was _real.

And in pain. He jumped back, cradling his shin in his hands. "Ow! Mare, what did you do that for?"

She ignored his question, launching herself into his arms instead. She felt like crying and knew that she was being quite unlike her usual self but she couldn't help it. He was here, Ash Redfern was here and they were together. Pure, unbridled joy coursed throughout her body as she buried her face against his chest, her dark curls flying in every direction.

Ash dropped his foot at the last second and welcomed the embrace, his arms enveloping her immediately. He gently tugged on one curl and kissed her temple. "I love you, Mare. Please don't leave me again…it was just as bad as the time that I was away slaying dragons. Please…wherever we go from now on, we go together."

She nodded her head, unable to speak. After a while she let go, the tips of her ears pink as she realized that they had an audience. Lissa, Hayden, Mollie and Emma were looking at the couple with wide eyes, their cheeks flushed. They're probably embarrassed about having to witness this, Mare thought, turning away from Ash. She kept a firm grip on his hand and led him over to her desk. She motioned for him to sit on the chair and then perched on the edge of the table, swinging her feet happily.

"So…these are my friends," she said, gesturing around the circle. She pointed to each one in turn as she introduced them. "That's Lissa, Hayden, Mollie and Emma. And guys, this is – "

"Your super hot boyfriend?" Lissa cut in, waggling her eyebrows. She grinned at Mary-Lynnette, indicating her approval. "I think that we could tell, Mary."

Ash smirked and Mare slapped him with the back of her hand, her own smile playing at her lips. "I was _going _to say Ash," she replied. "Anyways, how about we cut the meeting short today and just go home?" She turned to look at her soulmate, glancing at him through her lashes. "We kind of have a lot to talk about, and I'm sure that you all wouldn't mind a day off, would you?"

They all shook their heads. They stood up and slipped their bags on, Mollie momentarily sticking her lollipop in her mouth to free her hands. Lissa waved at Mary-Lynnette and raised her eyebrows suggestively, causing a blush to spread across her cheeks. Lissa giggled at Mare's expression, about to leave the classroom when Hayden called out to her.

"Hey, Lissa? I was wondering…do you want to go for ice cream?"

She blinked, her baby blue eyes wide. Then a slow smile spread across her face and she nodded. "Sure, that would be great Hayden. Thanks." Lissa grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the classroom, oblivious to the dreamy glint that sparkled in his eyes.

"They make a cute couple," she said softly. She and Ash were the only two people in the room now and she was very aware of his body next to hers.

"Kind of like us?"

Mary-Lynnette ignored his remark. "I guess that you would want to know why we left, wouldn't you?"

"No," Ash said simply, running one hand through his ash blonde locks. His eyes - now a glacier green - were trained on her face, waiting for her reaction.

"No?"

"No."

"Why not? Didn't you care? _Don't_ you care?"

He caught her hand in his own. "Mare, of course I care. But I already know why you left – Jez and Morgead told me, Delos and James – and I don't want to go through it again. It pains you, it pains me…why can't be just enjoy being together again?"

She stared at him. It was times like these, exact moments like this one, where she could easily identify all of the changes that Ash had gone through during the year that they had been apart. Her heart swelled and she jumped off of the desk, barrelling into his arms again. "I'm sorry."

He tilted her face up, his fingers gentle. "I know. It's ok, Mare."

Their mouths met and they fell into each other. Everything in Ash's mind was crystal clear and bright, the obvious happiness a result of finding Mary-Lynnette. She smiled and kissed him harder. _I love you, Ash._

_ I know. I love you too, Mare._

They broke apart at the sound of a throat being cleared and Mare glanced up to see Emma standing apologetically in the doorway. The light overhead was glinting off of her piercings, creating the illusion that her ears were sparkling. When she saw that she had their attention she raised one hand weakly. "Sorry. I left my scarf."

Mary-Lynnette looked at the desk previously occupied by Emma and saw that she was right. A purple scarf was wound around the back of the chair, one fringed end brushing the tiled floor. She got off of her knees and picked the accessory up, handing it to the girl in the doorway.

"Thanks," Emma said. She wrapped the scarf around her neck, smiled at Mare one last time and left.

"So…why don't we go home?" Mare suggested. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the chair, bringing him closer to herself. She couldn't stand to be away from him again, not after being separated for a week and a half. They already had had such little time together – she would make sure that it wouldn't happen again. "But when I say home, I mean our house here, not Las Vegas. Not yet."

"Sure," Ash laughed. His grin turned teasing as he repeated what she had said earlier. "After all, we have a lot to talk about."

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**I hope that satisfied all of you. I'm really sorry if I kinda got anybody out of character, especially Maggie and Delos. I wasn't exactly sure how they would react :S**

**Only one couple left!**

**Oh, I meant to say this earlier...WOW! You guys are incredible! You got me only 5 reviews away from 100, and at 95 for my ninth Chapter! My 10 for 10 dream was demolished! Thank you guys so much!**

**Review, please! Let's get that 100!**


	11. Confetti Tendrils

**Happy February!**

**I know that this update is like, super late, and I'm sorry. And I would also like to apologize in advance for the lackluster quality of this Chapter, because I was honestly juggling writer's block, projects, exams, tests, presentations and just plain life. So, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.**

**Fortunately, I'm the minuscule break between my semesters, so I'll be able to write a _little_ more often and post...yeah, where have you heard that before lol.**

**Without further ado...**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does**

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Chapter 10

_Confetti Tendrils_

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It was fairly simple: a couple handsprings, three back flips and a basket toss all packed into a high energy routine. A handful of the cheerleading hopefuls were standing around, nervously biting their nails as they waited for their cue to begin. The tryouts were in cluster format, meaning that all of the girls were separated into groups. Each group would have a chance to show the judges what they could do and then individuals would make it to the next round. It all sounded completely dramatic and overdone for a high school cheerleading squad but it was how things were operated.

Poppy gripped her practice pompoms tighter. She was sitting on the bleachers, her head propped in her hand, her elbow bent and resting on her knee. The confetti tendrils of the blue and white pompoms brushed against the wooden planks and she made a half hearted move to raise the equipment. The elfin vampire stared at the tryout in front of her, emerald green eyes glazed over as she thought about what had been going on in her life lately.

The truth was that she felt bad. If there was one thing (other than James) that was important to Poppy, it was her friends. And after lying to them for a week and a half it was only natural that she would feel upset. She had lost too many friends when she 'died' – she didn't need to lose the Daybreakers too.

Poppy had always known that the problem, the whole mess that they were in, was all moot. She didn't understand why no one else could see the clear faults of the situation. When she had woken up all of those nights ago, it was Ash Redfern who was leaning against her wall, his eyes deep with red colouring. The very same Ash who was now completely changed because he found his soulmate. The Ash who she had gone shopping with the day before he left for the mission because he needed help picking out something that Mare would like. At that moment she had known that they were in no danger at all.

But all of her friends had seemed to think otherwise. She made a decision right then to play along, something that she knew would ease their fears. It hadn't seemed like a big deal at the time. After all, no matter what they chose to do, Poppy could always tell James what the problem was. He would be there in no time, talking some sense into the girls. Being a cousin of Ash, he knew just how bad the vampire had been before Mare came into the picture. If _James_ could accept him, then anybody could.

Things got more difficult after that. The girls were kept on a busy schedule, constantly on the move. Poppy had a hard time trying to leave James hints – the circumstances only left her with two opportunities. She tried to be as clear as she possibly could but she wasn't entirely sure if he had gotten the message. Boys could be so dense sometimes…but James was incredibly determined and she had complete faith in him.

With a mix of help from Poppy and good luck the boys found themselves attending Jack Mueller High School, looking out for their soulmates. The vampire herself hadn't been to class all day, instead helping her friends reunite. She always had to point the male in the right direction; they seemed unable to navigate through the school with a map alone. Thanks to her, all eight of the other soulmate couples were together again – or so she hoped.

She had stiffened when Mary-Lynnette asked the question because she didn't quite know how to answer. Obviously she wasn't upset because she had been in cahoots with James the whole time. Of course, she had asked him to keep that a secret from the boys too, at least until they had enrolled in the school. It was only fair that she give the girls a chance to explain to their soulmates, not steal the whole show. Besides, she hadn't exactly been in their rooms when this whole thing had started, she hadn't seen all of the ghosts, so she wouldn't be sure what to say at all.

Poppy dropped her pompom onto the bleacher floor. Truthfully, she had no interest whatsoever in becoming a cheerleader. What was the point? If everything was going as she hoped, they would all be leaving to head back to Las Vegas before the day was done. The only reason that she had come here was because it provided an easy meeting point for James and herself. The field was huge – no one who attended the school had a chance of missing it – and she was the only person seated in the stands. He had to find her.

The wooden board sagged underneath extra weight and Poppy turned and pressed her face into James' sweater. Even though no words had passed between them, she knew it was him. No one else had ever made her feel this way just by proximity alone. After spending all day helping her friends reunite with their soulmates she was beginning to feel a little unhinged. The moment she felt James kiss the top of her head everything rightened itself out. Bliss did not even come close to describing what she was feeling, but it was the best that she could do. For once in her life, Poppy North was at a loss for words.

He was the first to break the silence. "Ash and Mary-Lynnette?"

She nodded. "They should be back together by now. I gave him the directions to the Astronomy Club room about half an hour ago and I guess that he went to get her back." Poppy was struck by a sudden realization and sat up. "Does that mean that everything's fixed now? All of the others…they're all reunited, right?"

James nodded. "But you still have to tell me why you left. I got the gist of it from what you said before, and Jez and Morgead told me bits and pieces, but I want to hear the whole story from you. All at once, no interruptions. It will be easier to understand it better that way."

Poppy grimaced. The whole ordeal obviously wasn't something that she wanted to relive, but James had to understand. If this was the only way to make sure that he wasn't the least bit confused, then she would have to tell him; it was only fair. After all that he had done for her, helping everyone with no questions asked, this was the least that she could do.

She relayed everything to James, not stopping until she reached the very end. Once she was finished, Poppy let out a huge breath and leaned against his chest, feeling more relaxed than she had in two weeks.

"You knew the whole thing was fake because Ash isn't evil…," James said softly, taking all of the information in. He brushed his knuckles across her copper curls, stopping only to cup her head against his palm. "And that's why you told me not to worry, why you left the address for us to find, why you helped all of the guys find their soulmates – because you knew that we were in no danger at all. And the other girls didn't believe you?"

Her voice was muffled, but she knew that James would be able to decipher her words. "I think that they did believe me, but not enough to take the chance. They just…they really didn't want anything to happen to their soulmates. We all thought that hurting ourselves by being away from you guys was better than you getting hurt."

"We _were_ hurt. We were hurt because you were hurt, and we were hurt because you left us. No matter what…we were still hurt, Pop."

Poppy grimaced again, pressing her face closer to the soft material of the striped sweater. The minute that the girls had left the house, Poppy had realized that in trying to protect their soulmates from getting hurt, all they were doing was hastening the process. But she couldn't change things now; all she could do was move forward. All that _everyone_ could do was move forward.

_I'm sorry_.

He answered out loud, wrapping one curl around his index finger. "I know Poppy, and I forgive you. We all forgive all of you. And thank _you_ for leaving behind all of those clues and helping us find where you were. If it wasn't for you…we might not even be together like this."

Their moment was interrupted by a shrill whistle. The two vampires broke apart, slightly dazed and unhappy with the break in contact. Poppy raised her head from her soulmate's chest and peered down onto the field. The cheerleader who was in charge of the tryouts – Macey Ingworth – was glaring at the couple, one hand poised on her hip.

"Hey, number 15! Didn't you hear the announcement? You can move ahead, and the next cheer starts in a couple minutes! Get down here and learn the routine!" The silver whistle bounced against her chest as she yelled and wispy strands of midnight coloured hair were falling out of her impromptu bun.

Poppy looked down at the sheet of paper stuck to her front, a red number 15 glaring out of the mass of white. She had forgotten that she had even tried out to begin with, only doing so to pass the time until James met up with her. She slowly brought one hand up and ripped the tryout number off of her clothes, letting it fall to the floor next to the pompoms.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Macey called out. Her tone suggested that she was running out of patience, as was the visible vein in her neck.

"I quit," Poppy called back, getting to her feet. She climbed to her feet and held on tightly to James' hand, dragging him away with her. "I don't want to tryout. I never wanted to be a cheerleader anyways."

"So then why did you come out on the field?" James piped up, squeezing Poppy's hand in his own. His gray eyes were shining mischievously and his lips were curled up in a smile to match. Poppy giggled and hugged his arm tighter. "As if you don't know," she jokingly berated him, plucking at his sleeve with her free hand. "Silly Jamie."

It felt good to be with her soulmate again, even if all they were doing was poking fun at one another. As they walked in silence towards the school doors, Poppy didn't think that anything could possibly ruin her mood. She was with James again, all of her friends were reunited with their soulmates and if luck would have it, they would be heading home soon. The quiet life in Tennessee was just as adorable as she had imagined, but now she had to admit that she much preferred Vegas.

"Hey James?"

"Poppy."

"Do you think that we could go home now? I don't really like going to school," she finished, jutting her lip out slightly. She had forgotten that key point when they enrolled in Jack Mueller; high school had never been her forte. The only reason that she had been able to tolerate it before was James, so coming to this school without her soulmate had not been the best idea.

He nodded slowly, biting his lip in a thoughtful manner. "We should be able to…I think that Thierry was saying something about us finding you guys and getting back to the mansion as soon as possible. Besides, knowing Lord Thierry, he's probably going to want to figure out what made all of you see those hallucinations and run away."

Poppy couldn't disagree with that. The hallucinations had spooked them so much that one of the Wild Powers had left the mansion completely unprotected. Well, not completely, Poppy reconsidered, reminding herself that Rashel and Keller were close to the best fighters in Circle Daybreak. But Jez had been a lot more unprotected than Thierry was comfortable with.

But it was all sorted now, and there was only one thing to do. A wide grin stretched across Poppy's face as she turned to face her soulmate, green eyes sparkling. "I'll race you to the car, Jamie!" She didn't give him a chance to reply, already on the move. As school was over and no one was around, she used her vampire abilities to her advantage. Besides, she didn't care if people saw her anyways. She wouldn't have to explain anything to them.

This time tomorrow, they'd be gone.

XxXxX

"I still can't believe that you would just _leave_ us there!" Poppy grumbled, crossing her arms tighter across her chest. Her coppery curls were in tangles and her mouth was set up in a pout as she leaned against James, who was sitting to her left. The couch was so high – or maybe Poppy was so short – that her feet were hovering over the ground, her ankle hitting against the bottom of the sofa. "Why would you _do_ that?"

Thea sighed. "Poppy, we already _told_ you. Mary-Lynnette told us that you were staying after school for the cheerleading tryouts and we knew that they would take pretty long to wrap up, so we just left. How were we supposed to know about the great big plan that you had put together? You never told us!"

"Because you would have never believed me!" Poppy insisted, letting her arms fall to her sides. She looked as if she were about to pounce forward and James quickly loped an arm around her waist, tugging her back. At his touch, she relaxed and sat back, resting her head against his chest.

"What's the big deal?" Mare asked from her seat next to Ash. She was on the ground, her legs bent with her elbows resting on her knees. A checkered hair tie held her curls back in a simple ponytail, which was lying over her shoulder. "Ash and I walked home just fine, Poppy. They left us too."

"Because you told us that you had an Astronomy Club meeting," Thea reminded her, raising her eyebrows. "We always leave you in school when you have your Astronomy Club meetings and you usually just walk back."

"I know. All I'm saying is that it's not a big deal that you guys took the car and left Poppy and James to walk home. We did it," Mare gestured between Ash and herself. "Besides, why are we even talking about this? Are you honestly telling me that after being away from our soulmates for a week and a half, _this_ is what we're going to talk about once we're all together again?"

"She has a point," Gillian said softly, cupping her chin in her hand. David reached out and absentmindedly played with a lock of her light hair, avoiding Jill's hands as she tried to bat him away. "We haven't seen you guys in a long time…why don't we do something tonight? We could pack up our bags, go out to dinner and then head straight home after. And _why is everyone_ touching my hair!" she exclaimed, ducking away from Morgead's outstretched hand. When Gillian had given her suggestion, he had reached out and ruffled her hair in an affectionate manner, obviously happy with her idea.

Hannah spoke up, her blonde hair piled on one shoulder as she secured the strands in a loose braid. "That sounds like a great idea," she said, turning to her soulmate. "What do you think, Thierry?"

He checked his watch. "Everyone should get packed up and ready," he answered, smiling. His fingers were laced together with Hannah's, and it was easy to see that all of the sadness had drained from his eyes. Lord Thierry Descouedres was honestly never happier than he was when he was with his soulmate. Anybody could tell that just by looking at the blonde vampire. "If we want to leave with enough time to eat and get on the road."

At those words, all of the girls got to their feet and ran to their rooms. The guys stayed in the living room, already set to leave. They had been wearing the same clothes every day since they left the mansion, washing the garments in the laundry room of their hotel. They hadn't exactly packed anything when they began their trip; the only thing running through their minds was the plan to find their soulmates. Consequently, they now had nothing to pack and nothing to change into. Not that they minded in the least – it was much less work this way.

Half an hour later, the girls marched down the stairs, bags slung over their shoulders or dangling from their fingertips. "We're ready to go," Maggie said, adjusting her shoulder strap. Delos was immediately at her side, carefully removing the bag from her grasp and holding it himself. She smiled at him and took his hand, applying a slight pressure to his fingers. This was how it was supposed to be.

The doorbell rang as the other boys followed the vampire prince's lead, and Maggie pulled her soulmate towards the front door. "We'll get it," she said, flicking the lock and pulling the wooden door aside. Two teenage girls stood on the front step and it was obvious that they were sisters. The younger one looked up at Delos in confusion. Her older sister, the same age as Maggie, was regarding him too, but with something more like interest. "Oh hey Spence, hey Sam. What's up?"

Spencer brushed aside the question with a wave of her perfectly manicured hand. The sisters had moved in to the house next door a couple of days ago, completely new to Tennessee; they were from New York City. Samantha and Mary-Lynette had hit it off instantly, as they both had a love for the night sky. Spencer was a little more girly than her sister, and a little bossier, but it was easy to tolerate her.

"Who's this?" Spencer asked, tossing her golden curls over one shoulder. She looked pointedly at Delos and gave him a sugary smile. "I don't believe that we've met before."

Maggie tightened her hold on Delos' hand. "This is my…boyfriend, Delos. And Delos, these are my neighbours, Spencer and Samantha. Are you looking for Mare, Sam?" When the young girl nodded, Maggie called over her shoulder, "Mare! Sam's here to see you!"

Mary-Lynette appeared in the doorway, a begrudged Ash trailing behind her. His expression brightened when he saw that Sam was a thirteen year old girl, as opposed to the six-foot swimsuit model that he had been expecting, Maggie guessed. She rolled her eyes and pulled Delos over to the side, curious as to what Sam and Spencer had _really_ come over for.

"Mary-Lynnette, I was wondering if you could take me out to the hill tonight. My uncle just got back from a business trip and he brought me a new telescope and I wanted to try it out. Spencer won't take me because she says that she has a date, and I don't know anyone else in town….so please, can you drive me?"

Mare frowned. "Sam, I wish I could, but I'm sorry. See…we're all leaving tonight. Moving back to Las Vegas. I'm really sorry, Sam." Ash moved forward and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, trying to give her reassurance and comfort. He knew how badly she felt about turning Samantha down, and he would have tried to convince her to stay for one more night to make the girl happy…except that he knew how Mare felt. As sorry as she was that she wouldn't be able to take Sam to the hill _and_ see the stars tonight, her longing to go back to Vegas was stronger.

Spencer's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw the vampire, her baby blues shining with appreciation. "Is this your boyfriend, Mary?"

Mary-Lynnette nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "Actually, he's kind of the reason that we're all leaving tonight. Well, not _him_ only – all of our boyfriends came to visit…they were, uh…_away_, and now we're all moving back home together. Which is, you know…Las Vegas."

Maggie knew where her friend was going with this. The more unnecessary information that Mare gave to Sam, the less likely the girl would be to ask questions. It saved them time for later, when they wouldn't have to think on their feet, lest Samantha get suspicious and bombard them with more enquiries. The girl appeared soft-spoken and sweet, but she was really the most curious person that Maggie had ever met; she took after her sister in that way.

"You mean that there are _more_ guys? Can we meet them?"

Both Mare and Maggie ignored Spencer, who huffed and blew her bangs out of her eyes. Before she could repeat the question, Jez stuck her head out of the living room doorway and said, "Hey, are you guys coming? We have to leave if we want to get to the restaurant in ti – oh, Spencer."

Jez was the _only one_ who has issues with Spencer. The blonde was the oldest child and mercilessly spoiled by her mother and father; all of the attention was what had caused her bossiness. The others were able to look around the obvious flaw in her character, but it has struck Jez hard. If there was one thing that Spencer Millio hated, it was being disobeyed, and if there was one thing that _Jezebel Redfern_ hated, it was being bossed around. The two were constantly butting heads, and it was always up to the others to calm Jez down before anything got out of hand.

"Jez."

"Actually, Spence, can you do us all a favour?"

"Jezebel," came Morgead's warning from the confines of the living room, and Maggie bit back a smile. He wasn't the only one who recognized the tone, Maggie did too. Once Jez got all calm and sweet, something big was about to happen. In a way, this side of her was much scarier than the explosive version. At least you always knew what you were going to get when she attacked you.

"Don't call me that!" Once she turned away from her soulmate, Jez put the scary smile back on her face. "As I was saying Spencer, you're starting Jack Mueller tomorrow, right? Well, we'll be gone before then, so I was just wondering if you could tell the secretary that all of us left? Just give her our address and she'll…do whatever she has to do to take us out of the system."

There was a beat of silence, and then Maggie let out a sigh of relief. Jez actually had a pretty good plan, one that none of the others had thought of. Getting un-enrolled in the school had never even crossed her mind, and she was glad that Jez had thought about all of the details. It sure took a load off of her chest.

Spencer bit her lip and tilted her head to the side. "I guess that I could do that," she answered, flipping her hair over her shoulder again. "Anyways, we should better get going, Sam. It was…_great,"_ she shot a sarcastic look over at Jez, "meeting all of you. Have fun in Vegas."

After a quick hug from Mary-Lynnette, Sam followed her sister off of the porch and across the road, pausing one last time to wave. Maggie waved back, her wan smile faltering even more. The little girl had looked so sad when Mare told her that they were leaving that she couldn't help but feel a little bad. Not bad enough to postpone their plans, but the feeling was sufficient enough that she felt a pang of guilt.

Catching her thoughts, Delos kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry so much about it, Maggie. I'm sure that she'll get her mother or father to take her to the hill. Why don't we go back inside and see if the others are ready to go, alright?"

She nodded and followed her soulmate into the living room, all thoughts of Sam flying out of her head when she saw everyone bunched around Thea. The witch had her cell phone up against her ear, a pained expression twisting her features. Her free hand was attempting to plug the extra noise out from her other ear, and her eyes softened slightly when it worked.

"Ok, I can hear you now. Wait wait…ok, wait…alright, the static's gone away. What's wrong, Blaise?" The colour drained straight from Thea's face and Eric held onto her shoulder, worried. She shot him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, and then turned her attention back to the one sided conversation. "You did _what? _Why Blaise? Oh Goddess…what are we going to do?"

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**Yeah, like I said up there, sorry!**

**And how many of you guys actually guessed what was going to happen with Poppy and James? Was I successful in creating a dramatic twist lol, or did you all expect it?  
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**Review, though, please! I would appreciate it immensely :)**


	12. Mirror Image

**I know that apologizing would not even be able to come close to what I owe you guys, but that doesn't mean that I'm not going to try. I really, truly am very sorry that I've left you hanging for so long! I promise you, it was school's fault. I have had non-stop assignments and tests ever since I started the second semester, and I am only now getting a break. I know that that's the standard excuse for many people, but it's also the absolute truth in my case (plus a minor stint with writer's block). I've been working so hard to try and keep my grades up to get into university, and the good news is that I've been accepted to two of the three that I've applied to! I still haven't heard from the third yet, and I still don't even know where I actually want to go yet. But I cannot believe that I am this close to graduating!**

**Anyways, I wrote this especially for you guys, to ease you (finally!) out of the cliffhanger that I left you with. Just as a warning, it is very short, kind of a filler, but that was essential. I thought that it would break the emotion if I cut to the Daybreakers, and also that it would lose its effectiveness if I dragged it out for too long. Some questions may still be unanswered, but don't worry, everything will become clearer once I update again.**

**I'll stop blabbing now and let you get to reading, but prepare for a little bit of an Author's Note at the end :)**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does .**

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Chapter 11

_Mirror Image_

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Something was not right. Blaise let out a breath and ran the back of her hand across her forehead, her dark hair swinging across her back and she tilted her chin up. This was not supposed to be so _difficult_, she thought, rubbing her palm across her eyes and releasing another sigh. I am a powerful witch, and this should not be giving me these many problems.

The potion had started off brilliantly, a bright lime green that seemed to shine with magic. The liquid was thick and made a tiny whirlpool when Blaise stirred it; it was perfect. But as soon as Blaise dropped in the three required wooden chips from a weeping willow, the whole concoction darkened, instantly transforming into a sky blue. It was a big change, completely drastic and out of the ordinary, and Blaise knew that something was wrong.

"I just don't understand why," she grumbled under her breath, her pretty features marred by an angry scowl. She felt as if she was a broken record; she had been mulling over this last thought for the past twenty minutes. She was doing everything perfectly, and then something went wrong. "It would be a whole lot more helpful if I could figure out what it is, though."

She stirred the potion idly and glanced around the room, looking for anything that could be of help to her. Her gaze fell on the ratty leather-bound book that she had found stored underneath Thea's mattress. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, I guess," Blaise said, shrugging her shoulders and dropping the spoon onto the counter.

The book was old, fragile and covered in dust. Each time that she turned the page, a cloud of dust rose up and assaulted her nose, tickling her nostrils and arousing the urge to sneeze. She absently waved the dust away and found the hallucination spell that she was working on. Written at the end of the method, so small that she had to squint to read it, was a line of hand written instructions. They came right after the wood chips, and was the last step to making the potion.

_Add in activated dragon's blood, 1 cup._

Blaise snorted. "What is this, Harry Potter?"

Despite the sheer ridiculousness of the handwritten instruction, Blaise decided to add the extra ingredient. The potion wasn't exactly doing what she wanted it to, and this was an extremely urgent matter. The point of this was to teach the boys a lesson for ditching her, not make her tear her hair out in frustration. Anything that would help would go into the bowl, and that was that.

With a groan, Blaise realized that there was no activated dragon's blood lying around. That certain component was known to be associated with Circle Midnight, and she was sure that Thierry would not have a pile just hanging around his mansion. The first made vampire was all about the _good _magic, as was dear cousin Thea. Blaise wasn't exactly opposed to their way of thinking, but she did believe that casting spells should be fun. What was wrong with an occasional love potion?

"Or a quick hallucination spell?" Blaise murmured, wracking her brain. She was sure that there was some small detail that she was overlooking, but she just could _not_ put her finger on what it was. Suddenly, a light bulb went off, and the matching grin that spread across her face was just as blinding. How could she have forgotten? Excluding her vampire relatives, Blaise had _two_ cousins currently residing in Thierry's mansion: Thea, and the lost witch, Gillian Harman. Vaguely, Blaise remembered being introduced to the tiny girl with deep violet eyes and silken white-blond hair. She also remembered Thea telling her all about their cousin's history, and a certain spell that their _other_ cousin, Gary (apparently, they were not the last Harman witches as they had initially believed), had tricked her into performing. An evil spell that involved activated dragon's blood.

"Surely she must have kept it hidden away," Blaise said, running one hand down her long ponytail. She got to her feet and raced up the stairs, heading straight for the room that she knew belonged to Gillian and her soulmate. "That stuff is expensive, and I doubt that she knows just how hard it is to come by. She must have kept it because she simply had it." In her haste, Blaise didn't realize that she was speaking aloud and that her words made no sense. Her thoughts were running into each other and she ransacked the room, checking every nook and cranny for the small transparent bottle of the red liquid. Finally, after prying open a loose floorboard underneath the bed, Blaise found what she wanted. She picked up the bottle in triumph and looked in wonder at the thick substance inside, the deep colour staining the glass.

Holding the dragon's blood carefully in her hand, she made her way back to the Witchy Room and sat down again. She uncorked the bottle and hung it over the mouth of the bowl, tilting it ever so slightly and watching as the blood moved closer to the lip of the vial. Her gray eyes still on the blood, she rummaged around blindly until she found a measuring cup. She filled it to the brim and poured the required amount into the concoction, brightening when it instantly changed from the bright blue back to lime green. Just like the book said.

In her excitement, Blaise forgot that the bottle was still uncovered. It slipped from her fingers, spraying droplets of the red substance into the bowl. As quickly as it changed into the bright green, it transformed again, this time into a sickly yellow colour. Blaise groaned again and hurriedly stuffed the cork back into the neck of the bottle, setting it aside and peering down into the bowl. Not only had the appearance changed into an extremely disgusting colour, but the surface seemed to be bubbling. The concoction looked like the stereotype witch's brew; all she needed to do was transfer it into a cauldron and it would be a done deal.

"Great," she growled, faint circles of pink appearing on her cheeks. Blaise rarely lost her composure, so it must have been a big deal to make her snap. Just as she was about to scrap the whole project and start over, the windows banged open and a cold gust filled the room. The witch curled her arms around herself and looked around, her ponytail blowing in the breeze. "What's going on?"

She had seen this happen only once before, back when Thea had accidentally let Suzanne Blanchett loose from her talisman. Her heart sank as these words replayed in her hand once more. _When Thea had let Suzanne Blanchett loose from her talisman._ But…those were completely different circumstances, weren't they? She hadn't done anything like that now, right?

A quick look around the room told her that she was wrong. The bowl had bounced up into the air and fallen over, spilling the potion out across the tiled floor. The curtains were raging in the heavy wind, and there were hazy shapes starting to take form near the doorway. Her heart clenched in fear as her stomach dropped. What have I done?

"Oh, don't you know, Blaise?"

A cold voice made the witch's stomach turn in on itself, and she looked up shakily. Her dark eyes met bright green ones, shining with a satisfaction so strong that Blaise was almost able to feel it herself. They flashed and changed to a jet black in an instant, revenge making them glitter like diamonds. They were set in a beautiful face, a face that bore a strong resemblance to her own.

"Maya…," Blaise whispered, all of the fight drained from her body. She was standing here, in Thierry's mansion, face to face with her ancestor. Her evil, psychotic ancestor who was supposed to be dead. Killed, stabbed through the heart by Lady Hannah herself. "Maya, what are you doing here?" She backed up a couple of steps, shrinking in and hugging herself tighter. This wasn't supposed to have happened.

"Your spell went awry," Maya said casually, raking a hand through her hair. She smiled at Blaise and gestured behind her, at the six figures emerging from the haze. "Your little hallucination spell went awry, and now we're back. Well…not _back_, exactly, but we can do enough harm this way. And hey, we're more difficult to kill too, since we cannot be physically harmed. So now…now we can take our revenge on those Daybreakers and enjoy watching as they squirm. I suppose that we should be thanking you, however many times great grand niece."

A handsome young man, completely put together save for the mess of black hair falling over his forehead, stepped forward and smirked. His eyes were a darker black than Maya's, and looked as if he had no soul; no inner light, no depths. They vaguely reminded Blaise of a shark's, and she involuntarily shivered. These people were…they were intensely bad. And she had done this. And had brought them back from the dead. In this case, mistakes were irrelevant – what had happened had happened, and it was because of her. She was to blame.

What had she done?

A man that Blaise recognized as Hunter Redfern gave her a glib two fingered wave before zooming out through the open window. One by one, the others followed until the room held just Blaise and Maya. The two looked almost like mirror images of one another, both with dark wavy hair and smouldering eyes. Blaise had always been proud of her beauty, using it to her advantage whenever she could. Now, face to face with her evil ancestress, she felt empty. This…this _monster. _That's who she looked like.

Maya sent one last grin her way and then flew out the window, her hair trailing behind her. Blaise stared after her until she was out of sight, and then flew into the living room, grasping for the telephone. Her fingers were already punching in Thea's number, her mind racing. What was she going to say? What would _Thea_ say? What could she do to make everything right again? Because that was what she wanted – to fix everything herself. At the very least, to help the others take down their personal demons. She couldn't afford to have everyone else fix her mess. Not this time.

"Hello?" Thea answered, the smile evident in her voice. "Blaise? What's wrong?"

She had a lot of explaining to do.

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**Now, as sorry as I am to say it, this story is nearing the end. It will probably only take a couple of chapters to resolve this issue, and then a nice conclusion, and then it will be over :( What we're looking at here is definitely less than 5 chapters, although the exact number is not determined yet. I just thought that I should let you all know.**

**I know that I probably do not deserve them, but please review! It will mean the world to me and more.**

**And once again, I'm so sorry!**


	13. Long Shot

**What a record, huh? I just updated on Tuesday night, and here, a mere two days later, I have a new chapter up and ready! The truth is that I've been writing like a maniac lately. It's just that I found these two soundtracks that really get my muses flowing, like it's impossible to not write when I'm listening to them. Thank God for youtube, is all I'll say lol.**

**I must warn you though, this one is a little repetitive. The real action starts in the next update, so I just ask you to bear with me, please!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does.**

**PS - I decided to write this one in Keller's perspective just simply because she and Galen are my favourite couple and I wanted to give them a teeeeeny bit of face time. Just out of interest lol.**

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Chapter 12

_Long Shot_

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Keller still could not believe that she had allowed Poppy to rope her into this. The vampire had insisted that she dress up for the dinner date, going so far as to pick out the outfit that she wanted Keller to wear. Poppy had actually done that to all of the girls, producing the new garments of clothing from a shopping bag that she had hidden away in her room. Apparently, she and James had not come straight home after their meeting on the football field, instead making a quick stop at the local boutique. As for how Poppy knew all of their sizes, Keller decided that she was better off not knowing. There were actually many things about the pixie-like vampire that she would rather not know.

"What's wrong?" Galen asked quietly, leaning his head closer to hers. His golden-green eyes were dark with worry and Keller let out a small sigh.

Thea was still on the phone with Blaise across the room, her hand cupped over the mouth of the receiver, speaking in hushed tones. A lot of the others were huddled around Thea and Eric, straining to hear what was going on. Keller and Galen used to be among the crowd, but after Thea made it completely clear that she was not going to tell them anything at the moment, Keller had sighed and taken a seat, tempted to hold a throw pillow up against her chest.

"This getup is crazy," she answered, gesturing to her clothes. Poppy had begged her to wear a fake silk blouse tucked into her dark jeans. Since she usually wore clothes made out of shapeshifter hair, these foreign materials were uncomfortable enough. But, for some strange reason, the shirt that Poppy had picked was graced with an extremely low neckline, showcasing much more skin than Keller ever had before. "How come I'm the only one who had to wear such drastic clothes?"

Although Poppy had bought new outfits for all of the girls, the others were lucky enough to wear clothes that were more suited to their style. Lady Hannah, for example, wore a light sundress, and the dark new shirt that Rashel was wearing at least had a modest neckline. This was just too much.

Galen smiled. "I like it."

She scowled. "You would," she muttered. Her soulmate was much gentler and more chivalrous than the others, but he was still a guy. And what guy would protest when his girlfriend was wearing an extremely low-cut shirt? Trying to get the attention off of her blouse, Keller glanced at Thea. The witch was still talking very animatedly, but her soft brown eyes were full of worry. Eric looked just as distressed, but Keller wasn't sure if that was because he hated seeing Thea in this way or if he knew what was going on.

"Hey, Thea, why don't you just put it on speaker?" Jez called out from her seat on the couch. She waved her hand to get Thea's attention, the movement causing the sequins on her shirt to shift and catch the light. The glare was cut by the edge of her leather jacket, leaving only small white circles dancing around the room.

Thea shot Jez a look and turned away, focused solely on the conversation. She looked up at Eric when he put a hand on her shoulder and Keller knew that they were having a mental conversation through the soulmate link. She saw Thea's eyes soften slightly and Eric smile fleetingly before turning to the group, all of whom were tired of waiting by now and were lounging around the room.

"Guys, if she does this, you have to be quiet, ok? Blaise can't know what's going on," he said. After everyone nodded their agreement, he poked Thea in the shoulder and she smiled at him, her gratitude shining through the simple expression. She took a quick glance around the room, pressed a finger to her lips and then said into the phone, "Blaise, I'm sorry, I don't quite understand. Can you please start again at the beginning?"

With a quick push of a button, the silence was swallowed up with the sound of Blaise's voice. "Really Thea, from the very beginning? _Again?" _She sounded annoyed, but Keller could hear a hint of fear underlying her words. Blaise was scared? The girl was never scared…something was definitely going on.

"Please Blaise? I really need to understand this. Start from when you poured the powder on our heads. I just want to get everything straight."

Keller exchanged a look with Galen. When had Blaise ever poured powder on any of their heads? She had a feeling that a lot of things would be explained in this one phone call. As relieved as she was to find out exactly what was going on, a feeling of dread was working its way into the pit of her stomach. She could tell that she wasn't going to like this one bit.

"Well…you remember how all of the guys in our old schools fell over at my feet? Like how I got that car from Kevin in Las Vegas, just simply because he wanted to give me anything to make me happy? Well, I kind of got tired of that. I knew that all of the guys only liked me because I had – for lack of a better word – bewitched them, and I wasn't too happy. Then I remembered how you had Eric, and even our vampire cousins had found their soulmates, and I was still alone. So I got mad."

"What did you do?" Thea asked, looking around the room. Keller was sure that she already knew, but was asking for the benefit of the others. The way that the story was starting up, she didn't think that Blaise would offer up any unnecessary information. She was feeling bad enough as it was and most likely did not want to add any more insult to her injury.

"I knew the guys were all away on a mission, so I snuck into your rooms one night and sprinkled a powder potion on your heads. It was supposed to give you nightmares, and then show you a hallucination of the person that you feared the most. I tweaked the recipe a bit so that the hallucination would threaten your soulmate; I thought that that would make all of the girls leave."

"Then once we were gone, you would have the boys all to yourself?"

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. "I guess that it doesn't make much sense, does it? But I just wanted…I think I wanted to feel wanted. And Thea, you and the others are always saying that your soulmates are the absolute best, and I just thought that it would be nice to be with them. I didn't think that they would all go and try to find you, though. I thought that they would stay in Thierry's mansion with me, and we could have fun together."

Keller bristled. She could _not_ believe what she was hearing. How could Blaise ever think that the guys would relax when their soulmates were missing? And that they would even consider hanging out with another girl, without even a shred of concern? Of course, they had hoped to achieve similar things by leaving their soulmates, but that was completely different. The girls had had the best interests of their soulmates in mind, whereas Blaise had tried to break them apart for her own selfish reasons.

_Calm down_. She turned to look at Galen, who had clasped one of his hands over the fist that was nestled in her lap. She knew that he could hear everything that she was thinking, and that he felt the same way. _But that's beside the point now, Keller. What's important is that we all found our soulmates._

She bit her lip and nodded, turning her attention to what Blaise was saying. She might not have agreed with that Blaise had done, but there was a much bigger problem here right now. She just hoped that Blaise would explain what it was sooner rather than later. Being clueless about the whole thing was frustrating.

"By now, you must obviously know that they left me. They wouldn't even look at me when we were in the house together; they were so caught up in trying to find out where their soulmates had gone. I went out to listen to some music and sunbathe by the pool, and when I came back inside, they had gone. Just left, vanished. I got…well, I got really upset. I mean, not only was I soulmate-less, but the guys leaving without a second thought kind of wounded my ego," It sounded painful for Blaise to admit this, but she ploughed on with her story, her voice getting increasingly raspier. "So for like a week, I tried to make my revenge. I made all of these potions, but none of them turned out like how I wanted. Until…Thea, I found the book under your mattress. And I used it."

Thea gasped. "Blaise! That book was hidden for a_ reason!_ It's a spellbook from Circle Midnight that I managed to get from someone. Me and Gillian were planning on looking through the spells and predicting what would be used during the Apocalypse!"

Her cousin ignored her. "I was trying to make a hallucination spell, and I accidentally added too much activated dragon's blood. Before I could do anything, there was a gust of wind like that time with Suzanne Blanchett."

All of the colour drained from Thea's face, and sixteen pairs of eyes looked at her warily. Before anyone could break the code and ask her about it, she brought one hand up to her throat and asked, "Blaise…like Suzanne Blanchett? Does that mean…please tell me that you didn't…?"

"I'm sorry Thea," Blaise burst out, and Keller could hear the tears in her voice. Above all else, whatever had happened…it was obvious that Blaise was worried about Thea. The blonde witch was the only thing that could bring out this amount of emotion from Blaise. They were born as cousins but raised as sisters, and acted as such. Blaise had caused a huge amount of trouble, and because of this, she was truly sorry for what Thea had to go through now. But what, Keller wondered, twisting her fingers together, is it exactly that Thea, Eric – _all of us_ – have to go through?

"Did you…did you see them?" Thea asked quietly, her voice flat.

_What's going on?_ Keller looked to Galen for an answer but he shook his head mutely, glancing worriedly at Thea. In fact, everyone in the room was regarding Thea with concern. She looked faint and sick at the same time, her eyes bleak and dull. Eric was trying to provide some comfort, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding her close, but it didn't seem to help too much. The greenish tinge around her cheeks disappeared, but she still looked positively frightened.

"Thea, what's wrong?" Eric asked quietly, his voice muffled by a curtain of Thea's hair. Keller suspected that the only reason she could hear him clear across the room was due to her extensive shapeshifter ears. Not that she was complaining. She knew that it was wrong to listen to a conversation held by soulmates (she would like to see anyone _try_ to do that when she and Galen were talking), but she had to know what was going on. She was nearing her breaking point here, and this Suzanne Blanchett thing seemed to be of importance. Keller had never seen Thea react this way to anything before, and she had known her for quite some time.

"Eric…Suzanne Blanchett. The witch who – that night on Halloween, in the desert," Thea seemed to have trouble forming a coherent sentence but Eric was able to understand. Slowly, his face paled and he held Thea tighter against him. "S-she's back?"

"Not just her," Blaise answered. She had been silent for so long that Keller had forgotten that she was on the line. "Thea, not just her! Maya too, and Hunter Redfern and others that I even didn't recognize. There was a werewolf with brown hair, a really hot guy with blonde hair kind of like Gillian's, Lily Redfern and another boy with really messy black hair. They all appeared in the room and then left out of the window. And Maya told me…she said that they were able to harm all of you in this form, but that _they_ couldn't be physically harmed. Thea…I think that they're coming after you guys."

XxXxX

There was a pregnant pause after Blaise announced her thoughts. After a beat of extended silence, she heard the sound of shuffling, almost masked by Thea letting out a long breath. In her mind's eye, she could clearly see the fear on her cousin's face, and felt awful because she had put it there. If she hadn't been so petty and jealous, none of this would have ever happened.

Eric spoke up this time, his voice sounding strained. "Blaise, why do you think that they're coming after us? I mean, I know that it looks like the obvious conclusion, but what made _you_ think that?"

Maya's hateful words flashed through her mind. _Now we can take our revenge on those Daybreakers and enjoy watching as they squirm. _"Maya told me. She said that she wanted to take revenge on all of you and…she wanted to enjoy watching you squirm. I'm not sure if they know where you are right now, but I'll bet that they're out searching for you guys."

More silence. Unlike last time, though, this silence seemed forced. As if someone wanted to give their own input, but decided against it. Like people were trying their absolute hardest to remain quiet. Blaise wasn't stupid; she knew that she was on speaker phone. Throughout her entire confession, she had heard the faint background sounds of people shifting couch cushions around and murmuring below their breaths. She didn't mind that the rest of the Daybreakers were listening in, but she didn't understand why they were trying to hide it from her.

"So, what do the rest of you guys think," she asked, breaking the silence. "And don't bother, because I know that I'm on speaker." Now that she had told Thea everything, she felt more like her old self. The danger was still there, but she felt lighter. Like all of the guilt that she had been hanging on to had dissolved, leaving her at peace. It felt good to be free.

Lord Thierry was the first to speak. "Blaise, you're the only one who has actually _seen_ them. How long do you think that they will take to find us? Would we have enough time to drive back to Nevada?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. It might take them a few hours to find you, maybe a day at the most. But I don't think that you would have any time to drive all the way back here. If you guys move, then there is the possibility that you might cross paths."

"Hmm…I never thought of that," someone said. Blaise recognized the voice as belonging to Ash and she smiled. Even though he had found himself a human soulmate and gone soft, he was the closest thing that she had to a favourite cousin. Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt horrible that she had caused him pain. He had been through so much already and hardly deserved it.

"So what you're saying is that we have to face them here?"

Even when faced with this potential crisis, Poppy still managed to sound optimistic. Blaise bit the corner of her lip and shook her head again, although she knew full well that they couldn't see her. "I think so. I don't see any way how all of you can drive back here without alerting your presence to them. It might make more sense for all of you just to stick where you are and…." She trailed off. They all knew how the sentence would end, so she had no reason to voice her worries. _Just stick where you are and fight them off. Try to defeat them. Try to not die._

A thought suddenly struck Blaise, and she cut Thea off in the middle of what she was saying. "Thea, I have to go _now_. It's really important. I'll talk to you soon, ok?"

With that, she hung the phone back in its cradle and ran up the stairs, bounding into Thea's room where she had left her bag. She rummaged around inside and pulled out a pair of jeans and a thin sweater, hastily tugging them on over her bathing suit. She had forgotten that she was wearing that….splashing around in the pool seemed like it had happened ages ago, as opposed to the actual time lapse of a couple hours. She quickly brushed out the tangles in her hair, shouldered her purse and grabbed her sunglasses and iPod from Thea's bedside table.

This whole thing was a long shot, but she didn't know what else to do. Some part of her was nagging in the back of her mind, telling her that this was the only way. The only thing that could save Thea. And for that reason, she had to try.

Her taxi arrived at the airport in record time and she jumped out, throwing a wad of cash at the driver without as much as a word. She raced up to the desk and bought a ticket on the next plane to Wildflower Meadows. She didn't care how much it cost or even if she had to sit in the very back of the plane. The most important thing right now was just that she get to Tennessee.

Years ago, when Thea had accidentally unleashed Suzanne Blanchett upon the world, she had been the only one who was able to capture her again. Blaise had a sneaking suspicion that this was the same deal. After everything that had happened, all of the trouble that they've all gone through…in the end, Blaise would be the only one capable of destroying them. Of that, she was positive. She wasn't sure if it would be enough, if she would be able to beat them.

But she would do everything in her power to try.

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**I ask that you please disregard any mistakes that you might see lol :)**

**Anyways, I know that the chapter title is a little odd, but I always try to take something directly from the text, and that's what it was this time. Go figure.**

**Guess what! I got accepted to all of the universities I applied to! I'm actually pretty excited, and feel really good about myself lol.**

**Review please! :) We're nearing the end of this run, and I would love to hear all of your opinions and input on the story!**


	14. Sandbox

**Wow...sometimes I even surprise and amaze myself. This is the third update that I've given you guys since last Tuesday! Three new Chapters up in one week! Actually, I'm really proud.**

**So, this is the big action Chapter. I just wanted to say that this is my first time writing any sort of action, so please go easy on me. And I know that sometimes I broke the flow to get more plotline in (you'll see what I mean momentarily), but I didn't want anyone to be confused. And I also know that Keller and Rashel are twins, so Rashel is half shapeshifter, but that was irrelevant to my story, and since she was raised as a human, I just used that to describe her, ok (again, this will become clear in a moment)?**

**Well, onto the Chapter!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does [anything that you recognize, I do not own].**

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Chapter 13

_Sandbox_

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"Can someone please remind me why we're in the park?" Rashel asked, pushing her bag higher up on her shoulder. She glanced around at her friends, all of whom looked as baffled as she felt. The strap of her bag slipped down her arm again, but before she could react, cool fingers reached out and hefted it away from her person. She turned to her left and smiled gratefully at Quinn, who was now positioning the strap across his chest so that the duffel bag hung at his side. "Because I don't see how this is helping."

Thea shrugged and tied her hair back into a high ponytail. "When Blaise called this morning, she asked if there was a kiddie park nearby. When I told her that there was, she _demanded _that we get to it and wait for her."

"Wait for her?" Jez repeated. "She's coming to Tennessee?"

"Actually, I think that she's already here," Thea answered. She dropped her bag at her feet and arched her back, stretching against the wooden seat of the bench. The Daybreakers were all sitting down around the giant oak tree in the park, some leaning against the majestic trunk, others perched on the circle of benches arranged amidst the roots. The leafy branches provided a welcome shade from the afternoon sun, casting patches of their skin into shadow. "Cell phones aren't allowed to be used on planes, remember?"

"But since when has Blaise played by the rules," Poppy pointed out. She tugged on one coppery curl and glanced around, resting her head against the tree. She was careful not to get any splinters stuck in her hair, because she knew that it would be painful to pull out later, but she couldn't help it. Right now, a little stability would definitely be an asset.

"True," Thea amended. "I suppose that you're right, Poppy. But I still think that she's here anyways. The only thing that I can't figure out is _why_ she would fly all the way from Nevada to Tennessee. What is she thinking?"

"Maybe she wants to help us," Rashel said. She lowered herself onto the ground, crossing her legs and leaning back against the tree. The warm breeze ruffled her dark hair, sending it flying in every direction. Absently, she smoothed it back down and tightened her headband. "I mean, that is a possibility, right?"

Before anyone could answer her question, a teenage girl stomped up to the group, her face twisted into a scowl. A mane of golden curls tumbled over her shoulders, blowing wildly in the breeze, circling her head like a halo. Her narrowed eyes were trained on Mary-Lynnette with a look of disgust and Ash reacted immediately, stepping in front of his soulmate. Mare put a hand on his shoulder, restraining him.

"What's wrong, Spence?"

Spencer tossed her head back, hands firm on her hips. "What do you mean, what's wrong? _You guys_ are what are wrong! I thought that you were all moving back to Las Vegas with your boyfriends? Isn't that why you couldn't take Sam out last night to look at the stars? She's right over there –" Spencer jerked her finger back over her shoulder "– and she _saw_ you! She thinks that you ditched her, Mary! As soon as she saw all of you, she started to bawl her eyes out. You were her first friend in this place, and she thinks that you lied to her because you don't like her anymore!"

Mary-Lynnette shifted uncomfortably. "We were leaving…but something really important came up."

Spencer scoffed. "How important could it be? You're sitting underneath a tree in the park at noon! Couldn't you at least call Sam and explain things to her? If it were _truly_ important, then you guys would be out doing something, not just sitting around on the ground."

"Hey, don't talk to her like that," Ash said in a warning tone. Spencer barely spared a glance in his direction, reserving her glare solely for Mary-Lynnette. Rashel blinked in surprise as she took the scene in. For Spencer to ignore a group of good looking guys was something that she had never seen before. Either she was sick or she was really concerned about her sister. Or a little bit of both.

Quinn caught her thoughts and sent a wry smile her way. Unfortunately, Spencer noticed this exchange and turned her anger onto them. "Why are you grinning? Do you think this is funny?" Rashel swore she could see a vein bulging in her neck. Spencer must have had _some_ morning. "Well?"

Jez stepped in at that moment, her frustration evident. "Spencer, would you just stop? I'm sure that Mare is sorry about upsetting Sam, but it's not our job to check in with you when we have to do something. And who are you to say what's important and what's not? Leave us to _our_ business, thank you very much."

Spencer looked taken aback for a moment, but then tossed her Barbie curls over her shoulder and stalked off. "This isn't over, Jezebel."

"Do _not_ call me that!" Jez shouted after her, silvery-blue eyes blazing. She turned back to the group and rolled her eyes. "Why is she so clichéd?"

They all laughed, even Mare, who still looked a bit shaken up. Rashel knew that it wasn't the confrontation that had affected her, but the sight of a sobbing Sam across the playground. She was sure that Mary-Lynnette felt bad about leaving Sam without an astronomy partner last night, but she was also sure that Mare knew that it couldn't have been helped. Any minute now, the Night World and the human world would collide, and they needed to save themselves, their soulmates and the rest of the population who might get caught up in the mess. There was no time for any nagging thoughts or feelings.

Their laughter cut off when the wind suddenly picked up, blowing their hair around wildly. Rashel and Quinn exchanged glances and took on a fighting stance. This change in weather was definitely unnatural, and Rashel had a feeling that she knew exactly what it was.

"Guys, remember the charms that I made this morning," Thea said, sounding frantic. She had pulled a weaved pouch out of her bag and was slipping it into the pocket of her jeans, gesturing for Eric to do the same. The supplies for the spell had been a little tricky to come by, but Thea had been adamant; the spell was an important one to perform if they were going to face off with the spirits. They were not 100% effective, but the pouches helped them to attack the semi-solid forms of their enemies. Extremely powerful physical attacks would strike the opponents, as would magical attacks and inanimate objects. It definitely gave the Daybreakers a welcome advantage.

Thierry placed his pouch in his pocket and looked around the circle. In the distance above his head, Rashel could see a row of figures sailing across the sky, getting closer by the second. They were too high for the humans to pay them any attention, as well as halfway transparent, but there was no way that they would be able to hide from any Night Worlder.

"Listen to me – I want to arguments," he said, authority lacing every word. "The humans will stay here, within the protective circle that Thea and Gillian have worked hard to put into place. Hannah, Maggie, Eric, David, Mary-Lynnette…Rashel will be allowed to fight due to her experience on the battlefield. Is that understood?"

Everybody knew Thierry well enough by now to know that his tone suggested the question was rhetorical. Rashel saw Maggie huff, but Delos looked relieved and leaned forward to whisper something in her ear. She narrowed her eyes at him, but the corner of her mouth started twitching. Eric and David looked upset that they had to let their soulmates fend for themselves, and Mary-Lynnette was speaking quietly with Ash. She didn't look happy, but Ash kissed her cheek and she smiled, although it did not quite meet her eyes. Hannah seemed to have taken the news the best, but Rashel guessed that was because she knew exactly what Thierry was thinking, and even more, understood his concern.

A powerful gust of wind nearly knocked Gillian off of her feet, and David steadied her against his chest. She barely had time to smile at him before the spirits landed, strolling leisurely towards the group. Wherever they passed, a burst of wind broke out, and the humans looked around dazedly, trying to find the source of the extreme breeze. Rashel allowed herself one moment to roll her eyes. Humans never saw anything if they didn't want to.

"I wonder if the blue fire would work against them," Jez mused quietly, obviously impatient to get on with the fight.

"Please don't try it," Morgead answered, his green eyes furrowed.

"What? Why not?"

It was Thierry who answered. "You cannot control it fully yet, and we don't want anything to happen to the park or the people around us. Delos, I know that you've had more practice than Jez, but please do not use your blue fire either."

He nodded.

No sooner had the action commenced that the spirits pounced. Rashel had been keeping her eye on the approaching line, her senses completely invested in the coming battle, and even she was taken by surprise. Within one instant, Hunter was on top of her, one hand wrapped tightly in her long dark hair. She felt the weight of the pouch in the back pocket of her jeans and kicked into his stomach with all of her might, hoping that it would work. It did. He grunted in pain and rolled off of her, recovering and getting to his feet in an instant.

"How did you…? You'll pay for that one," he grunted. His blood red hair shone in the afternoon sun, accenting the colour that much more. He looked deadly and poised to kill. Just as he lunged for her, Quinn darted forward and knocked Rashel sideways, anchoring her to the ground. He jumped to his feet and whirled around to face Hunter, Delos at his side.

"Rashel…none of us are sure exactly what his powers are," Quinn said, keeping his stare locked on his adopted father figure. "So try to steer clear of his teeth, ok?"

"Right," she said, rolling to a stand. She knew that no weapon she had would be of use right now and scanned the field for a broken branch. Her eyes passed over Keller and Galen – both in shifter form – pouncing and clawing at a teenage boy. His forehead was bleeding and his gaze was full of animosity as he focused on them. They were suddenly hit with black energy and let out twin roars falling to the ground and laying there for a moment before getting to their feet with stiff movements.

She was about to go and help them when a good sized tree branch caught her attention, a couple feet away from where Ash and Jeremy were grappling. The vampire had the boy pinned to the ground and was attempting to beat him with his fists. Many of the punches hit, but some went straight through the chest of the werewolf. Jeremy laughed, his red eyes wild and dancing. Frustrated, Ash began pounding more heavily, and Rashel was satisfied to see more of the hits meeting their mark. All of a sudden James appeared at his cousin's side, helping him to beat Jeremy.

For a fleeting second, Rashel wondered why James wasn't busy dealing with the villain who had plagued Poppy's nightmares. As she held onto the branch and pulled, she realized that it was because _Ash_ had been the one to threaten James. He and Poppy had no personal enemy to fight, so they were hopping from battle to battle, helping where they could. Her thoughts were cut off as the branch gave, and she swung it up on her shoulder and ran back to where Delos and Quinn were fighting with Hunter.

She snuck up behind Hunter and caught Quinn's eye, giving him a silent message about her plan. Without waiting for a response, she smashed the branch into Hunter's head, causing the vampire to stumble. He whipped around to face her and reached out, the light in his eyes purely murderous. "I told you you'd pay," he said, wrapping both hands around her arms. He lifted her off of the ground, his grip tightening until Rashel was sure that he would crush her bones. She flicked her right foot forward, bringing her left up to the top of her boot. With a twist of her ankle, she had kicked out her knife and pushed it into Hunter's stomach. In surprise, he dropped her to the ground, and she scampered forward and retrieved her weapon, tucking it back into her boot until she would need it again.

Quinn grasped her forearm and pulled her to her feet. "You okay?"

She nodded and grimaced. There would be two hand sized bruises on her arms in the morning, but they were nothing. What she was worried about was Jez and Lily Redfern fighting across the playground, dangerously close to the jungle gym. Parents were ushering their kids away, casting frightened looks over their shoulder at the girl who looked like she was fighting with the air. Spencer and Sam were looking at Jez in alarm, their eyes wide and mouths agape.

Jez seemed to have noticed this too. "Get away!" she called out to them, dodging a swing and sending back one of her own. Her red hair streamed out behind her as she ducked, executing a perfect roundhouse kick aimed straight for Lily's knees. She glared down at Jez and lounged, but the vampire-human hybrid rolled to the side and grabbed her from the back. _"Get out!"_

Delos was busy dealing with Hunter now, matching him punch for punch and trying to tear into his throat. He bent to the ground and picked up Rashel's branch, swinging it as one would a baseball bat. It caught Hunter squarely in the chin, but didn't slow him down. Delos swung at him again, and although the branch made contact, Hunter just continued advancing. Rashel was about to go and help him, her knife already pulled from her boot, when Quinn grabbed her hand.

"Try to lure him to the sandbox," he said quietly, his mouth close to her ear. She looked at him in confusion. He titled his head towards the tree and let go of her hand, running forwards to help his friend fight off Hunter. She looked to where Quinn had indicated and was shocked to see Blaise standing next to Maggie, who was watching Delos' brawl with Hunter with a very worried look on her face. Blaise was waving her arms and shouting something frantically to everyone, but her words were muddled beneath all of the ruckus going on in the fray.

"Get them to the sandbox!"

That was exactly what Quinn had said. She sheathed the knife back in her boot and charged towards Hunter, firm with every intention of pushing him backward into the childish play area. She ran past Thea and Poppy fighting an old-time looking woman, and Gillian shouting at a violet-eyed, blonde haired boy. Rashel stuck both of her arms out and physically pushed Hunter back, the sheer force of impact making the vampire himself stumble. She kept her head down and shoved as hard as she could, closing the distance quickly and pushing him into the sandbox. He glared at her and tried to attack, but an invisible wall was preventing him from leaving the confines of the play area.

Without allowing herself time to celebrate this brief victory, Rashel doubled back and fought alongside Gillian, who was now slapping at Gary. She didn't have finesse or form, but she made up for that in volume; she did not stop attacking her enemy for anything. Rashel stood at her side and kicked at Gary, the force of their combined attacks making him back up into the sandbox. Hunter had already been joined by Jeremy and Suzanne Blanchet, and Keller and Galen were working hard on forcing Azhdeha backward. From the other side, Lily was being dragged by Jez and Morgead, one pulling her back and the other showering attacks onto her person. All that was left was Maya, who was clearly the most powerful. She was evenly matched with Thierry, but he managed to push her backward with the giant wooden branch and keep her at a point. Ash and James ran over to help him, fighting with her along the way until she too was confined in the sandbox.

"Now what?" Maggie asked, appearing at Delos' side. "Why are they trapped?"

Delos turned to her, his golden eyes blazing. "Maggie! You were supposed to stay in the protective circle!"

She waved her hand at him dismissively. "Delos, _please_ calm down. The fight is over and they're trapped in the sandbox – why are they trapped, exactly?" she asked again, darting a glance over to the confined spirits. "What's going on? And what are we going to do now."

Blaise stepped forward and shook her mane of hair out, the dark strands falling down her back. Rashel knew that she was relishing all of the attention being paid to her now. Since the immediate threat was sorted out, she seemed much more like her old self; relatively cold and looking out for herself. Still, she had flown all the way from Vegas to Tennessee to help them take care of their enemies. There was no dancing around that.

"I don't know why exactly they get trapped in the sandbox," Blaise admitted, one hand on her hip. "All I know is that there is some chemical or mineral that is put in children's sandboxes that holds evil spirits in place, anchoring them to the ground. Unless one of us lets them out, they cannot leave where they stand."

As if to illustrate her point, Hunter Redfern slammed his fists against the air, trying in vain to release himself. He smirked and cursed at the Daybreakers when he caught them watching, but it was all to no avail. He could not move at all, cramped in the close quarters.

Blaise went on. "As for what we plan to do with them…really, I am the only one who can actually _do_ something to them. I brought them into this world, so I am the only one who can really take them out. This is strange though; they were so much more powerful yesterday. They didn't even attack me, but I could _feel_ their power radiating from them. When I saw all of you facing off today…they seemed weaker, more sluggish."

"Maybe the longer they were around, the weaker they got," Thea suggested, pulling out her ponytail. Her blonde hair nestled against her shoulders, draping across her collarbone. She brushed a lock back and looked in the direction of the sandbox again. "Because even now, they seem weaker than they were when we fought against them."

"Can we save this lovely discussion for after Blaise gets rid of them?" Jez asked, crossing her arms loosely. "Because they're annoying me."

Rashel had to agree with Jez. The spirits were pounding away at the invisible wall, trying to get out of their prison. They had not yet seemed to grasp the fact that they were not leaving the sandbox, glaring at the Daybreakers and using a string of very colourful language. Parents who were seated nearby kept shooting dirty looks at the Daybreakers, positive that _they_ were the ones with the potty mouths. They still had not cast a second look in the direction of the sandbox, disregarding the strange wind patterns.

Blaise was quick to nod her head. "You're right," she said, brushing some hair out of her eyes. This in itself was rare (Blaise never admitted that she was wrong, usually unless she was speaking to Thea), but her tone was icing to the cake. She had spoken without contempt, her smoky eyes shining with sincerity. _That _had been the most surprising part of all.

"Wait," Thea broke in. "Blaise, don't you need a circle of stones? That was how I sent Suzanne Blanchet back the first time."

Her cousin shook her head. "The minerals in the sandbox work in place of that. I can send them back right here, right now." She turned to the group of spirits and fell to her knees, pulling a lighter out of her pocket and setting a bundle of leaves alight. They had been pulled off of the trees with the force of the gale, and Rashel thought that nothing had ever seen so convenient. Blaise then pulled her bag off of her shoulder and dumped the contents on the ground: oak and ash, quassia chips, blessed thistle, mandrake root and a bit of the green potion that (Rashel guessed) had summoned the spirits in the first place.

One by one, Blaise threw each ingredient into the fire until she was left sitting in front of a blue flare. Then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and started to speak. "May I be given the Power of the Words of Hecate! From the heart of the flame…I send you back! Through the narrow path…I send you back! To the airy void…I send you back! Through the mist of years…I send you back! To beyond the veil…I send you back! Go speedily, conveniently, and without delay!"

The fire began to dispel thick, dark smoke that swirled around the figures in the sandbox. They looked murderously at Blaise and the others, but then disappeared in a flash of light. It happened so fast that Rashel blinked and missed it, but she heard the awe of the rest of the Daybreakers and felt let down. When would she ever get to see something like this again?

_Never would be ideal_, Quinn said mentally, and she laughed. Everyone else looked at her surprise, a stretch of silence enveloping them. Then, like a burst dam, laughter bubbled up around the circle, high and low mixing together. Thea threw her arms around Blaise and hugged her tightly.

"You did it! Blaise, you did it!"

"Did you ever doubt?" Blaise replied haughtily, but Rashel could see the relief clear on her face as well. The whole ordeal was over, and she was just as glad as any one of the rest of them.

Poppy clapped her hands and bounced on the balls of her feet. "Now there's only one thing left to do!"

"What's that?" Rashel asked, raising her eyebrows. She shared a quick glance with Keller, who was getting a pained look on her face. Her sister apparently knew whatever Poppy had in mind and didn't seem too thrilled about it.

"Am I going to have to change?" Keller asked, biting her lip. Next to her, Galen grinned.

Poppy nodded her head to enthusiastically that her copper curls fell into her eyes. "Yup! Let's go out and celebrate!"

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**Just to clarify a couple things. The whole sandbox idea, I just made it up to make it easier on myself. I didn't want them to have to go and find a naturally occurring circle formation in Tennessee, because I have no idea if it even exists and how long it would take them to find it if it does. Another thing is that the whole sending-back ritual that Blaise did...I took that exactly from the book. I hope that I got it right, but I am subject to mistake sometimes, so I apologize is I muddled anything up. Also, I made Rashel blink because L.J. Smith gave a beautiful description in the books, but I did not know how to re-write it in my own way; I thought that the chapter-central character blinking would make it easier on me - sorry :)**

**Also, I just realized that I've been spelling Suzanne Blanchet's name will two Ts instead of one...so sorry!  
**

**Now, this is the last Chapter of this story! I will be posting an Epilogue (hopefully very soon), but then that will be it. Finished...The End. I already know exactly what will happen, so it's just a matter of me putting my thoughts into words.**

**That being said, I would really appreciate it if my story would be able to keep up with my 10 reviews per chapter record! I know that you guys can do it, and it would literally make me SO happy that I would dance. Just, you know, around my room, so none of you will be able to see it lol.** **But please...150 reviews by the end of my story would just blow my mind!**


	15. Epilogue

**I cannot believe that this will be the last time that I update for this story! It's so bittersweet: on one hand, I'm happy and excited that I finished the story and that all of you enjoyed it so much, and on the other, I'm so sad that I won't be working on Come Down With Love anymore! But I just wanted to thank all of you for your support and love and alerts and reviews! They honestly meant everything to me!**

**Disclaimer - I do not own the Night World series; L. J. Smith does [anything that you recognize, I do not own].**

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Chapter 15

_Epilogue_

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Blaise thought that the expression on the waitress' face was highly amusing. She had been leaning on the podium, flicking through a magazine and chomping loudly on a wad of pink bubblegum – disgustingly stereotypical, in Blaise's opinion. She looked up when the little bell over the door rang, her blue eyes pale and unfocused. When she registered how many people were actually coming through over the threshold (nineteen people in all – the nine soulmate couples and Blaise), her eyebrows shot up and her mouth dropped open.

Again, so stereotypical. Blaise rolled her eyes and shook her head, dark hair splaying over into her eyes. She glanced sideways at Thea and smiled, linking her arm through with her cousin's. It had been a long time since they had spent any time together and she was grateful for this celebratory lunch. They all had a chance now to just relax and enjoy themselves, without any fear piggybacking along.

"Table for how many?" the waitress squeaked, her eyes not yet returned to their normal size. Her nametag – MARIE – bounced as she looked over all of the guys, appreciation shining through her smile. "Nineteen?"

Poppy nodded and smiled, although Blaise noticed that she tightened her hold on James' arm. He looked down at her in amusement, but she just blinked innocently and pulled him after Marie, keeping a tight grip on his hand the whole way. Everyone else followed suit, sliding past tables, pasta cupboards and the occasional Statue of Liberty.

The Daybreakers had chosen to have their dinner at East Side Mario's, a small but tasty Italian food restaurant. Poppy had called them a diamond in the rough: they didn't look like much, but their food was delicious. Blaise had to agree – she had only stepped inside the building five minutes ago, but the smell was overpowering and definitely mouth-watering. She hadn't even seen the menu yet and she knew that everything would taste good.

"You know, you were right," Galen's voice broke Blaise out of her musings. She turned to the left to see him shrugging out of his jacket and offering it to Keller, glaring at all of the staring boys they passed. "That shirt probably wasn't the best idea."

Blaise bit back a sigh as she sat down at the table Marie had led them to. They were seated in a little alcove, away from the rest of the diners. A glass partition stood between them and everyone else, acting as a frosted window. All of the couples sat together around the table, and she alone at one of the heads, feeling like a nineteenth wheel. Blaise suppressed another sigh as she saw Hannah hold Thierry's hand atop the table, absentmindedly playing with his fingers as she told him a story.

This sucked.

She shook her head a little, trying to clear out the negative thoughts. Don't get me wrong, I'm _extremely_ happy that we finished off those spirits, she thought, tracing one finger along the grooves in the wooden tabletop. But…she was also lonely. Everyone around her was deep in conversation with their soulmates and friends, and she was sitting by herself, lost in her thoughts.

"They're all so lucky," she mumbled to herself, glancing up at them through her eyelashes. Each and every soulmate couple was perfectly suited for each other; Thea and Eric were always so kind and thoughtful, Galen was super sweet wherever Keller was concerned and even Ash Redfern, her previously human-hating cousin, had changed. He was more sensitive now, quieter and less selfish. She had never thought that she would see the day.

A teenage guy strode up to their table, sidestepping the glass partition as if he had come into the restaurant with them, as if he belonged with the Daybreakers. He walked up to Keller was seated and smiled, showing off a deep set dimple in his left cheek.

"Hey, nice shirt," he said, voice full of bravado. He deflated quickly at the twin glares that Galen and Keller shot his way, stumbling back and moving towards his table, head low. When he arrived back by his friends, though, Blaise saw him slap a high-five and grin, glancing over in their direction again.

"What an idiot," she said, propping her chin in one hand. She had just turned her attention back to her open menu when Rashel let out a laugh, pointing a finger at Keller.

"Look at you, breaking hearts wherever you go," she joked, her words interrupted by her laughing. She shook her head to let her sister know that she was just kidding, but Keller still glared at her and hugged the jacket tighter around her torso. "Poppy, I am going to _kill_ you," she ground out between clenched teeth.

The vampire shrugged her shoulders. "What? It's not my fault that you look hot."

Gillian was about to say something when another guy walked up to the table. He looked to be the same age as Thea and Blaise and was dressed up in a white button shirt and dark pants, a black waiter's apron tied around his waist. In one hand he balanced a tray holding a steaming loaf of bread, a knife held firmly and carefully in the other.

"This is just the beginning of your unlimited bread," he informed the group, placing the tray next to Blaise's elbow. As he drew his hand away, the tips of his fingers brushed against her palm, and every nerve went on red-alert. Her smoky eyes widened, recognition seeping through her. It was the strangest thing: she was certain that she had never seen this boy before, and yet she felt as if she _knew_ him. As if she had always known him and had always been _waiting_ for him.

He pushed his copper coloured hair out of his hazel eyes and stared at her. "Do I….have we…?"

She shook her head, a silent _no_ forming on her lips.

Lady Hannah clapped her hands in delight, dropping one when she was finished and squeezing Thierry's arm. He looked down at Hannah with love in his eyes and then smiled at Blaise. His next words broke the stunned silence.

"Well Blaise…welcome to Circle Daybreak."

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**It's dooooooooone!**

**For the last time guys...please review! I know that the Epilogue wasn't too long or too detailed and kinda random but please...this is your last chance to review for Come Down With Love. And it would mean to much to me! And I still want to see if I can get to 150 reviews! :D  
**

**-mspink93**


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